Posted on 06/12/2015 5:05:09 AM PDT by Patton@Bastogne
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A Note to Conservatives on Trade Agreements
Senator Cruz entirely understands the widespread suspicion of the President. Nobody has been more vocal in pointing out the Presidents lawlessness or more passionate about fighting his usurpation of congressional authority.
Senator Cruz would not and will not give President Obama one more inch of unrestricted power.
There have been a lot of questions and concerns about 2the ongoing Pacific trade negotiations. Many of those concerns, fueled by the media, stem from confusion about Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). Lets unpack the issues one by one.
What are TPA and TPP?
TPA stands for Trade Promotion Authority, also known as fast track. TPA is a process by which trade agreements are approved by Congress. Through TPA, Congress sets out up-front objectives for the Executive branch to achieve in free trade negotiations; in exchange for following those objectives, Congress agrees to hold an up-or-down vote on trade agreements without amendments. For the past 80 years, it has proven virtually impossible to negotiate free-trade agreements without the fast-track process.
TPP stands for Trans-Pacific Partnership. TPP is a specific trade agreement currently being negotiated by the United States and 11 other countries, including Canada, Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. China is not a negotiating partner. There is no final language on TPP because negotiations are still ongoing and have been since late 2009. Neither the Senate nor the House has voted yet on the TPP. There will be no vote on TPP until the negotiations are over and the final agreement is sent to Congress.
Some Key Facts:
· Neither the Senate nor the House has voted yet on the TPP.
· Congress is the only entity that can make U.S. law and nothing about TPP or TPA could change that.
· TPA gives the Congress more control up-front over free trade agreements.
· TPA mandates transparency by requiring all trade agreements (including TPP) to be made public for at least 60 days before the Congress can act on them.
Does TPA give up the Senates treaty power?
No. Under the Constitution, there are two ways to make binding law: (1) through a treaty, ratified by two-thirds of the Senate, or (2) through legislation passed by a majority of both Houses of Congress. TPA employs the second constitutional path, as trade bills always have done. It has long been recognized that the Constitutions Origination Clause applies to trade bills, requiring the House of Representatives involvement.
Does the United States give up Sovereignty by entering into TPP?
No. Nothing in the agreement forces Congress to change any law. TPA explicitly provides that nothing in any trade agreement can change U.S. law. Congress is the only entity that can make U.S. law, and Congress is the only entity that can change U.S. law. Nothing about TPP or TPA could change that.
Does Senator Ted Cruz support TPP?
Senator Cruz has not taken a position either in favor or against TPP. He will wait until the agreement is finalized and he has a chance to study it carefully to ensure that the agreement will open more markets to American-made products, create jobs, and grow our economy. Senator Cruz has dedicated his professional career to defending U.S. sovereignty and the U.S. Constitution. He will not support any trade agreement that would diminish or undermine either.
Does Senator Ted Cruz support TPA?
Yes. Senator Cruz voted in favor of TPA earlier this year because it breaks the logjam that is preventing the U.S. from entering into trade deals that are good for American workers, American businesses, and our economy. Ronald Reagan emphatically supported free trade, and Senator Cruz does as well. He ran for Senate promising to support free trade, and he is honoring that commitment to the voters.
Free trade helps American farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers; indeed, one in five American jobs depends on trade, in Texas alone 3 million jobs depend on trade. When we open up foreign markets, we create American jobs.
TPA also strengthens Congress hand in trade negotiations, and provides transparency by making the agreement (including TPP) public for at least 60 days before the Congress can act on any final agreement. Without TPA, there is no such transparency, and the Congress role in trade agreements is weaker.
Is TPA Constitutional?
TPA and similar trade authority has been upheld by the Supreme Court as constitutional for more than 100 years.
Does TPA give the President more authority?
No. TPA ensures that Congress has the ability to set the objectives up-front for free trade agreements.
Trade Promotion Authority has been used to reduce trade barriers since FDR. When Harry Reid took over the Senate, he killed it. History demonstrates that it is almost impossible to negotiate a free-trade agreement without TPA. Right now without TPA, America is unable to negotiate free-trade agreements, putting the United States at a disadvantage to China, which is taking the lead world-wide. It is not in Americas interests to have China writing the rules of international trade.
Moreover, Obama is going to be president for just 18 more months. TPA is six-year legislation. If we want the next president (hopefully a Republican) to be able to negotiate free-trade agreements to restart our economy and create jobs here at home then we must reinstate TPA. With a Republican president in office, Senate Democrats would almost certainly vote party-line to block TPA, so now is the only realistic chance.
How can Senator Cruz trust Obama?
He doesnt. Not at all. No part of Senator Cruzs support for TPA was based on trusting Obama. However, under TPA, every trade deal is still subject to approval by Congress. If the Obama Administration tries to do something terrible in a trade agreement, Congress can vote it down. And most congressional Democrats will always vote nobecause union bosses oppose free trade, so do most Democratswhich means a handful of conservative congressional Republicans have the votes to kill any bad deal. Thats a serious check on presidential power.
Isnt TPP a living agreement?
That particular phrasea foolish and misleading way to put itis found in the summary portion of one particular section of the draft agreement. That section allows member nations to amend the agreement in the future, expressly subject to the approval of their governments. Thus, if some amendment were proposed in the future, Congress would have to approve it before it went into effect.
But isnt TPA a secret agreement?
No, it is not. The full text of TPA (fast track) is public. What the Senate just voted for was TPA, not TPP.
Right now, the text of TPP is classified. That is a mistake. Senator Cruz has vigorously called on the Obama administration to make the full text of TPP open to the public immediately. The text being hidden naturally only fuels concerns about what might be in it. Senator Cruz has read the current draft of TPP, and it should be made public now.
Critically, under TPA, TPP cannot be voted on until after the text has been public for 60 days. Therefore, everyone will be able to read it long before it comes up for a vote.
Couldnt Obama use a trade agreement to grant amnesty to illegal immigrants?
No. There is one section of TPP that concerns immigration, but it affects only foreign nationsthe United States has explicitly declined to sign on to that section.
Moreover, Senator Cruz introduced a TPA amendment to expressly prohibit any trade deal from attempting to alter our immigration laws. [LINK to release.]
Two Republican Senators (Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul) blocked the Senates consideration of that amendment, but the House of Representatives has agreed to include that language in the final text of the trade legislation. Thus, assuming the House honors that public commitment, federal law will explicitly prohibit any trade deal from impacting immigration.
And, regardless, no trade agreement can change U.S. law; only Congress can change U.S. law.
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No, it doesn’t ‘insert Congress into the deal’ it is a sham since it makes approval of the TPP a slam dunk.
When has any large problem been truly "fixed" as it should be over the past few decades? Every big government boondoggle has done nothing but grow in size, bringing us to the point we are at now. So yes, we do need to be wary of the big government types in both parties that think the world revolves around Washington, D.C., and we especially need to be wary of an openly lawless president who couldn't give a fig about the fate of this country.
The problem is we’re not “confused”, “misled” or otherwise not understanding. TPA and TPP are joined at the hip. Ted Cruz can spin it all he wants, these bills are nothing more than more daggers shoved into the ribs of the middle class.
I wouldn’t give dear leader fast track authority to run an ice cream truck, yet against all logic and common sense, Ted Cruz thinks that its a great idea to give dear leader a blank check on trade, immigration and the UN treaty on small arms.
Ted Cruz is just another conservative hustler with a really good conservative schtick.
No offense to you personally of course, but I think you’re dead wrong on this. And yes, time will tell.
Blessings to you as well.
The worse thing in my mind is that Rand Paul could reap a political whirlwind for being the only GOP candidate to actually vote no on this thing. I can’t stand the guy, but my gut tells me he’ll benefit from Cruz, Walker, and Rubio supporting this disaster of a trade agreement. Just my hunchm
clearly ... “the fog of war” ....
He was one of the ones who was on all of the major shows saying how bad the legislation was. If it was so bad, why vote this way?
No - debate it.
Why do you use the following as the source?
....Texas Supporting Senator Ted Cruz ^ ....
when your source is:
http://www.freerepublic.com/%5Ehttp://www.TedCruzFloridaVictory.org
Can you explain please.
Hmmmmm.....who’d a thunk so many FReepers could be so bad wrong and would be supporting the Kenyan born muslim Hussein and another part to/of his America destroying agenda? NOTHING Barry does is America’s best interests. EVERYTHING he does is designed to further along our Country’s demise. And our own folks are supporting him on this ‘trade’ thing!!! Barry wants this TPP/TPA/TISA in very, very, very bad. Why? Because he knows damn well how horrific it is going to be for America down the line. If one support it....then they are supporting Barry and his globalist puppet master’s NWO agenda. Simple as that.
And now Cruz slapped down Sessions’ effort to limit immigration so US citizens can find work.
Cruz favors flooding this nation with cheap workers.
The trade deal giveaway is a huge scam...best examined against the backdrop of Obama's two tax-exempt foundations (that we know of).
THE FACTS ARE THESE Obama's priming the pump for donations to his two Foundations. All of it---TPA and TPP--Obama's immigration suck-ups---his non- action WRT ISIS, IRAN---are best understood against the backdrop of Obama's future plans as an ex-president----more specifically, his two Foundations (two that we know of).
The aforementioned entities control billions of dollars---and Obama is lying-in-wait for his share.
Just the other day--Obama proudly bragged that today, once again, the US is the most respected country on earth.
So it doesnt matter Putin continues his invasion of Ukraine....
Or that China knows it can continue grabbing key sea areas, building vast artificial islands on which to plant its flag (and weapons). Or that Bashar al-Assad is back to using chemical weapons, because Obama won't enforce his own red line.
As for Iran: Its already breaking the interim US nuclear deal by building enriched-uranium stockpiles far larger than it promised. Iraq? In the same town-hall, Obama talks of how we were able to end two wars."
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Obama learned from the Clintons how to get a big payday for his two foundations: look on w/ approval even if countries invade and depopulate.....and never e-v-e-r utter a discouraging word e-v-e-r.
Maybe even shake hands w/ foreign tyrants to get mining permits and million dollar honorariums as Clinton did in Kazakhstan.
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How well Obama learned at the knee of Hillary when she was Obama's Secy of State. At that time the "State Dept Mission Statement" mentioned that it would "create a more secure, democratic, and prosperous world for the benefit of the American people and the international community."
(Well, profitable for the Clinton Foundation, anyway.)
Now it looks like that "prosperous world" is gonna happen, thanks to Obama's two foundations (/snix).
more below
(1) "The Obama Foundation" announced the location of its library in Chicago.....revving up the next ex-president's money machine.
(2) The second Obama foundation----The Barack H. Obama Foundation (BHOF)---(named after their dad), was fast-tracked by Lois Lerner for IRS tax-exempt status....for Malik Obama, Barack's half brother.
The BHOF is based at a Virginia UPS store, according to its website. The organizations IRS filings list another Virginia address that is actually a drug rehab center where the foundation does not appear ever to have been based.
As first reported by The Daily Caller, the foundation was speedily approved for IRS exemption by Lois Lerner, the self-same IRS senior official at the center of the targeting of conservative organizations that have waited over two years to receive tax exempt status. The IRS thoughtfully gave Obama Foundation retroactive fund-raising status.......which it stupidly never applied for.
The tax-exempt Barack H. Obama Foundation is run by Abongo Roy Malik Obama, the half-brother of Barack Obama.
The foundations mission statement is to provide people everywhere with resources to uplift their welfare and living standards in memory of dad---Barack H. Obama: in the region of his birth, Kenya, and beyond. Its guiding principle is the inherent belief that no one can truly enjoy the riches he has reaped if his neighbor suffers....."We seek to elevate the human condition so that everyone can live in dignity and truly enjoy having one another as neighbors.
(waiting for hysterical laughter to die down)
Despite raising more than $250,000, the alleged charity doesnt seem to have done much. Its website claims the organization has built a madrassa and was building an imams house as well as some proposed latrines, but there is no other evidence that the nonprofit was working to mitigate social-shortcomings in areas of education and literacy, health and well-being, poverty, and lack of community infrastructure in such basic needs such as water, electricity, shelter and sustenance, as the site says.
Alton Ray Baysden, a former Dept of State employee, allegedly a registered Republican, who helped start the Barack H Obama foundation, declined to comment before seeing copies of a reporters passport and govt ID, along with a description of the articles motivation and slant.
Repeated reporters' phone calls went to the organizations voicemail and were not returned.
Malik spends most of his time in Kenya with his 12 wives while Obama finances his half brother, Malik, a major fundraiser for the Muslim Bortherhood.
MORE HERE http://shoebat.com/shoebat-foundation/obamas-wahhabist-fundraising-empire
Kenya-resident, Malik Obama in Muslim dress, holds up
photo of his half brother Obama in Muslim dress, taken
during an earlier visit.
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GOVERTNMENT FRAUD AT ITS FINEST--deposited in numbered accounts in offshore banks?
Obama's federal outlays (that we know of).:
<><> $2 billion funding to Malik's organization---the Muslim Brotherhood,
<><> $50 million to Malik/Barack's tax-exempt foundation in the form of a grant to Kenya.
<><> While the Muslim Brotherhood was in charge in Egypt, Obama (and Hillary) showered them w/ praise.....and billions of US dollars in aid, arms, tanks and planes.
<><> Obama gave $90 million US tax dollars to wealthy oil-rich African countries.
Sorry gang, but both Cruz and Walker lost my vote on this of legislation. Now there is no one to vote for in the upcoming election because both men just showed that they are incapable of making sound judgment.
Well ... you can always “work” to support either Huckabee or Marco Rubio ...
Ditto.
Some of those with a agenda want Rand Paul as nominee so we will be forced to accept queers, black criminal amnesty, making American’s military weaker than levels even that of Obama, hatred of Israel, free collage tuition tax write offs, and the list goes on.
Paulbot Neonuts are restless tonight.
Rand Paul supports Obama’s policy towards the Castro regime.
Rand Paul supports the embrace of queers into the GOP.
Rand Paul supports free collage tuition with tax write offs and stick it to older working Americans.
Rand Paul supports black criminal amnesty.
Rand Paul supports reducing our military spending at dangerous levels.
Or Lyndon Larouche, or what ever his name is.
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