Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by martyb on Sunday June 14 2015, @12:09AM   Printer-friendly
from the national-sovereignty-retained dept.

The Center for American Progress reports

Democrats in the House dealt a stunning blow to the administration's trade agenda on [June 12], just hours after President Barack Obama personally lobbied lawmakers to grant him authority to negotiate several global trade deals that Congress could vote on without amending.

In the week leading up to Friday's vote, House leadership expressed optimism that it could muscle through the so-called Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), despite loud objections from most Democrats and conservative Republicans. Under the rules, the House had to pass: 1) a provision to aid workers displaced by foreign imports--Trade Assistance Authority or TAA and 2) the TPA. But Democrats, who have historically supported providing federal assistance to workers displaced by trade agreements, led a campaign to torpedo the TAA in order to kill the full bill. The TAA failed in a vote of 302 -126 and the TPA passed 219-211 (with 28 Democratic votes), meaning the overall measure will not advance to the president's desk.

House leaders promised on Friday to bring both back for a vote early next week. The Senate approved the full package earlier this month.

[...]Democrats and their allies in the labor movement have objected to the secrecy surrounding the TPP negotiations and various provisions said to be included in the deal. One section allows companies to take governments before an arbitration tribunal and argue that certain regulations interfere with their bottom line. Another would would delay the introduction of generic versions of life-saving pharmaceuticals. Progressives have also criticized the deal for failing to adequately enforce labor and environmental standards and prohibit the Pacific Area countries from manipulating their currencies.

Additional coverage at The New York Times , The Washington Post , pbs.org, and C-SPAN.


Original Submission

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2015, @04:11AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2015, @04:11AM (#195995)

    Interesting that you would bring that up line.
    Too bad it was being applied to the thug known as Obama (the serial murderer of children).

    Did you know that The Boston Globe used that line to describe Jill Stein? [google.com]
    It was used to describe a debate for the gubernatorial race in which she was pitted against Mitt Romney.
    She ran against him again in the 2012 presidential race as the Green Party candidate.

    -- gewg_

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2015, @04:15AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2015, @04:15AM (#195998)

    Jesus Murphy! Each and every comment of yours is weirder than the last. Are there no end to the false accusations that you will shit forth?

  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2015, @04:17AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Sunday June 14 2015, @04:17AM (#195999)

    A "serial murderer of children"? What the fuck? How do you manage to pull so much idiocy out of your rectum? Where do all of these false accusations come from? Why are you so delusional?