President Obama has proclaimed Hillary Clinton an effective Secretary of State. All along, it must have been the plan for Russia to seize the eastern Ukraine, Beijing to build airstrips and assert sovereignty over international shipping lanes in the South China Sea, and Iran to have nuclear weapons capabilities. [Reposted from the blog of Peter…
Senate Democrats successfully blocked debate on Trade Promotion Authority in their chamber until they were promised a vote on Trade Adjustment Assistance. [Reposted from Roll Call | Emma Dumain | May 18, 2015] A similar gambit faces longer odds in the House, but Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairmen Raúl M. Grijalva of Arizona and Keith Ellison of Minnesota began Monday…
Amid a push by some senators to propose key elements of a customs reauthorization bill as amendments to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation, the chairmen and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee have joined with House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) to provide new assurances that the customs bill will become…
You need to tell me what’s wrong with this trade agreement, not one that was passed 25 years ago,” a frustrated President Barack Obama recently complained about criticisms of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). He’s right. The public criticisms of the TPP have been vague. That’s by design—anyone who has read the text of the…
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Monday vowed to pass fast-track trade legislation before the Memorial Day recess, brushing aside calls for a prolonged floor debate on amendments. [Reposted from The Hill | Vicki Needham and Jordain Carney | May 18, 2015] “I want to be very clear … the Senate will finish its work…
Basic facts about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are under public dispute. Fast track must not be approved until this is cleared up. We the People deserve to know what is being voted on with fast track. [Reposted from the Campaign for America’s Future blog | Dave Johnson | May 19, 2015] The Dispute There is…
For Immediate Release: Contact: R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard Phone: 406-252-2516; [email protected] WTO Tries to Change U.S. Law with 4th Adverse COOL Ruling [A press release from R-CALF USA | May 18, 2015] Billings, MT – For the fourth time in three years, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has ruled that the United States’ country…
Economist Joseph Stiglitz wrote this letter to Congressional leaders outlining why the global court system, called Investor State Dispute Settlement, should not be a part of trade deals Among important points, Stiglitz writes: Proponents argue that ISDS measures are needed to protect the rights of U.S. and other foreign investors in partner countries. Few would…
Frustration is mounting among GOP leaders that Big Business is getting outfoxed by Big Labor. Top House Republicans believe the business community is blowing its chance to clinch a trade deal. [Reposted from Politico | Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman | May 18, 2015] Unlike unions, they say, Big Business advocates aren’t flooding Capitol phone…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 18, 2015Contact: Sara Haimowitz, Development Director[email protected] 202 688 5145 The Coalition for a Prosperous America expressed its disappointment today regarding yet another World Trade Organization ruling against US law. A WTO Appellate Body ruled against America’s popular Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) laws for meat, determining it was a “technical…
