Sen. Marco Rubio has a new headache from the right: His support for President Obama’s Pacific trade deal
[Reposted from the Miami Herald | Alex Leary | June 24, 2015]
“Marco Rubio Casts Deciding Vote For Obamatrade Without Even Reading It,” screamed a headline in Breitbart News, which last rode the Florida Republican on immigration.
Deciding vote is hyperbolic but Rubio’s was essential as the measure was advanced Tuesday by 60 votes, the exact number needed to overcome the Senate’s procedural hurdles.
A number of conservative groups have lashed out at giving Obama fast track authority on trade deals, claiming the accords have been created in secret and warning it wouuld bring in more foreign workers. Plus they don’t want to give Obama any more power.
Rubio felt it enough to push back on Twitter today, linking to a National Review story that says Rubio did read the deal.
As noted earlier, the trade issue has divided Republican candidates. In the Senate, Rand Paul and Ted Cruz voted no yesterday.
Rubio after the vote breezed by reporters without taking questions. He hasn’t said much publicly about the deal lately but was a visible champion, writing in the Wall Street Journal and calling on action during his first foreign policy speech as a presidential candidate.
“It is more important than ever that Congress give the president trade promotion authority so that he can finalize the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership,” Rubio said in a May 13 speech before the Council on Foreign Relations.
Jeb Bush also supports the deal.
