Posted on 06/13/2015 4:07:12 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Senator Cruz entirely understands the widespread suspicion of the President. Nobody has been more vocal in pointing out the President’s 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 the 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). Let’s 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 Senate’s 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 Constitution’s 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 America’s 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 doesn’t. Not at all. No part of Senator Cruz’s 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 no—because union bosses oppose free trade, so do most Democrats—which means a handful of conservative congressional Republicans have the votes to kill any bad deal. That’s a serious check on presidential power.
Isn’t TPP a “living agreement”?
That particular phrase—a foolish and misleading way to put it—is 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 isn’t 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.
Couldn’t 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 nations—the 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.
Two Republican Senators (Lindsey Graham and Rand Paul) blocked the Senate’s 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.
I am so weary of reading about this so I’m putting my one last hope in being able to understand it this way...Thanks.
The Trade Bill is a secret document. Had TPA Been approved we would have 60 days to read it before a Congressional vote. As it stands we are not getting to read it and I have no idea what the process is going forward.
In any case it is the norm that Trade Bills do not pass except via a TPA based system. So, with the failure of TPA, the Trade Bill is likely to fail as well.
Also note that, had it passed, it would be effective for 6 years including the First Term of the Ted Cruz Presidency.
I don't believe that for a second. Look elsewhere and it becomes "supported by trade". And it looks like they include retail jobs such as Walmart, you know, all those retails jobs "supported" by goods imported from China.
So, all the jobs related to the import, distribution and sale of goods once produced in the US are counted as jobs that depend on trade.
More Than One in Five U.S. Jobs Depend on Trade
Great, we've discovered how to bring greater prosperity to America. Send all jobs possible to cheap labor nations and then count all the new jobs needed to distribute and sell the products exported back to the US.
If Jenner can be a woman, and Dolezal can be black,
“Toast” Cruz can present himself as a CONSERVATIVE.
But he is, by his own action, NOT.
I suggest you call Cruz’s office at (202) 224-5922 on Monday and ask them.
Take a look at the “born-on” dates of some of these people. LOL
This misses the point. Obama is not to be trusted with anything more substantial than a putter. Giving him the opportunity to negotiate away our nation by creating an EU among third world nations (and others)is not my idea of smart. Can he be stopped? Nothing yet has demonstrated he can.
I like Cruz. I like him a lot. He is not yet the prez and as a lowly senator he does not have the clout to stop Obama. Obama is the problem, not Cruz.
These negotiations have gone on for 6 years. They can continue for another 2. Let’s get the fascists out of government before giving government more power.
Too bad Ted and Marco couldn’t just draw up a bill and put it in the hopper that lowers the corporate tax rate to 7.5% and brings billions of off shore money back into the US. No free trade agreement needed.
How about we the people and the plain language of the constitution?
Sorry Cruz but the GOP can’t be trusted on this trade issue since they’ve lied and lied and lied about defunding obamacare, defunding the amnesty and stopping Obama big spending.
“born-on” dates do not trump Truth.
The fact is that a random computer,
a rabid monkey or human two year old,
would each make the correct choice more often
than Congress ... and that includes “Toast” Cruz.
Cruz is correct on the technicalities, but horribly wrong on substance (I’ll admit that setting up the House Democrats to kill the bill was good domestic politics, and setting the Obama up to provide something to run against later are smart politics for Cruz). For six years, Obama has screwed up everything he touched, like a King Midas of excrement. If he desired with all his heart to negotiate an agreement that competently serves US interests, Obama is utterly incapable of delivering it. The chances that he would somehow produce an agreement worthy of approval are nil. If you believe otherwise, please explain. (I am not anti-Cruz, just anti-Obama).
Since Obama is not capable of producing an approvable bill, why on earth give him what amounts to a vote of confidence? Why risk that we’ll have another set of tricks and bribes a la ObamaCare?
Cruz believes in Trade Agreements.
Trade Ageements only make it through Congress via a TPA process.
He is going to vote against the TPP (I’m betting)
If the TPA had passed we could push through a Trade a Bill to our liking in 2017.
This isn’t Rocket Science. To me Cruz has exactly the right strategy. Get what we will need later right now. Turn thumbs down on the Obama bill. Pass the Trade Bill we really want in 2017.
We owe about 18,000,000,000,000 to the rest of the world, if you net out how much is owed to us. Now I don’t care if we “have been doing it this way”, it isn’t working for us so it’s time to try something else.
So did Romney. So did Obama.
I know it's difficult to focus while in the grip of righteous hysteria, but go back and read it again.
The ad says that telling us what we want to hear is what OTHERS will do. Not Cruz.
I’ve got mixed feelings because good and bad come out of them.
However trade deals happen all the time with no notice. All governors go on trade missions overseas and most people don’t even know their governor has gone anywhere let alone what deal they’ve made. Hell I can be proud that my state does business with Israel while so many others (individuals & nations) are engaging in the economic terrorism of boycotting Israel. All due to a “secretive” trade deal.
In another “shady deal” Canada is building us a bridge.
Get what we will need later right now. Turn thumbs down on the Obama bill. Pass the Trade Bill we really want in 2017.
you’re naive and waaayy too trusting.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.