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Bernie Sanders Is Kind Of Filibustering Obama's Trade Agenda
WASHINGTON -- Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is filibustering President Barack Obama's trade agenda -- sort of.
Early Wednesday, Sanders forced the Senate Finance Committee to abandon a legislative hearing on a bill that would grant Obama so-called fast-track authority on trade agreements. Sanders invoked an arcane procedural maneuver, objecting to a rule that allows committees to meet during legislative sessions. By doing so, Sanders has prevented the Finance Committee from dealing with the trade bill until at least 4:00 p.m.
That's significant because Senate Democrats, including Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), have prepared dozens of amendments to the fast-track bill, which will take several hours to address in committee. If the panel can't finish its work Wednesday, or just decides to call it a day early and resume its business tomorrow, Sanders can raise the same objection again, potentially delaying the process for several days.
It's not quite a filibuster, but it's an aggressive maneuver to stall the trade package for as long as possible while Democrats and many Republicans marshal votes against it.
"It's a very brave tactic," said Lori Wallach, director of Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch, one of the leading opponents of Obama's Trans-Pacific Partnership deal. .....................(more)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/22/bernie-sanders-fast-track_n_7118242.html?ncid=fcbklnkushpmg00000013
26 replies
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Go Bernie! 
If the Fast Track bill is enacted, not only will a filibuster of TPP (or any other "trade" agreement proposed in the next 6 years by whoever may be president) but the Fast Track bill would require a supermajority to REMOVE any trade agreement from the Fast Track process.
...Republicans ROUTINELY blocked all sorts of things merely on the basis of there not being 60 votes to force a close of debate. Consequently they routinely got the benefits of filibustering without ever having to do a thing.
Edit: McConnell has changed the rule since GOP took control of the Senate.
Put him in charge of the SENATE, way to go Mr. Bernie Sanders (VT--I)
and Sanders is his grasshopper, learning the procedural tricks. Harry is considered a master at that and was probably largely responsible for stopping Obama's push for Chained CPI. 
