What a Shame. Not: Obama’s ‘fast-track’ trade push faces congressional delays

[cali]

Legislation to grant President Barack Obama “fast-track” authority to negotiate trade deals and ease their passage through Congress has been delayed until the autumn – dashing hopes that an agreement could be struck quickly and without a fight.

“Fast-track” authority, which last lapsed in 2007, was created in the mid-1970s and has been, in effect, on and off since then. It gives US leaders the power to negotiate the details of trade deals and allows them to be approved by Congress on an expedited schedule with simple majority votes and no filibusters, delays or amendments.

The Obama administration has described “fast track” – officially dubbed Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) – as a “critical tool” to ensure passage of its ambitious second-term trade agenda. It is now negotiating separate trade agreements with the EU and 11 Pacific rim nations, known as the TransPacific Partnership. These TPP talks could be concluded by the end of this year, while an EU accord is slated to be sealed by the end of 2014, US officials have said.

The Senate finance committee was originally due to take up a bill in June. But congressional aides said the committee was still struggling to reach a consensus and talks were now expected to drag into the autumn. Top trade staffers from the House ways and means committee are also participating in the negotiations.


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http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/f228f6a2-0048-11e3-9c40-00144feab7de.html#axzz2bkouEY3m

Conservadems, many Repubs, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, other corporate groups and entities, and the administration are trying to shove this down our throats in order to shove the TPP and the TTIP down our throats. I'm not going to get into why the TPP and the TTIP are such bad agreements- I've done that in numerous posts over the last few months- but I am going to urge everyone to contact their Congress Critters in both the House and the Senate. The TPA must pass both Houses. Perhaps you're thinking that it's pointless because you have a repub rep but particularly in the House, and an odd coalition against TPA is forming.

Stopping the TPA is the ONLY way to put the brakes on the TTP and the TTIP. Let me repeat that:

THE ONLY WAY TO STOP THESE BAD TRADE AGREEMENTS IS TO STOP "FAST TRACK" AKA TRADE PROMOTION AUTHORITY.



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That’s a lot of faith. Congress is already expressing reservations: A collection of Democratic House freshmen sent a letter opposing fast track authority on the grounds that today’s trade agreements involve changing vast swaths of domestic policy, and they’d like to maintain a hold on the process, especially since the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations have been kept so secret. Sen. Sherrod Brown wants to see all sorts of requirements built in, like language around Chinese currency manipulation.

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Stanford professor Judith Goldstein calls this emerging dynamic a “Baptist-bootlegger coalition,” referring to the Prohibition-era partnership of temperance crusaders and the moonshine makers who wanted to keep prices high. It’s a loose analogy, but in this case, historically labor-aligned groups are the bootlegger, and the Ron Paul-style conservatives are the Baptists.

“If consumer groups think that they have a better deal picking up individual congressmen, they’re not going to want any deal that makes it harder for them to get access,” she says. “My guess is it’s just another way of saying they don’t want a trade deal.”

And Goldstein doesn’t give fast track good odds of passing this year. “I would be pleased, but shocked.”

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http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2013/07/17/how-congress-might-have-already-tied-obamas-hands-in-trade-negotiations/

[cali]

1. kick. this is a real and vitally important issue.