The linchpin of President Obama’s trade agenda in the Senate is coming under intense pressure from the left to go against the White House. [Reposted from The Hill | Vicki Needham | March 26, 2015] Liberal groups are threatening to back a primary challenge to Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), a key member of the Senate…
The Obama administration is pursuing two major trade agreements—the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the European Union and the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) with eleven countries in the Pacific Rim. Provisions in these agreements could undermine national sovereignty and a slew of regulations, including laws protecting competitive markets. These threats stem in large part…
This blog post is part of a series about the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Last week, an investment tribunal established under the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanism of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) issued an award in Bilcon v. Canada. The tribunal ruled in favor of a U.S. investor who had challenged the…
In the last several months, the dollar has strengthened tremendously against other currencies like the euro, the pound and the yen. This largely reflects the realization among investors that the American economy will do much better than other major economies in the coming months. [Reposted from The New York Times | The Editorial Board …
Sen. Ben Cardin (D., Md.) is among the lawmakers looking into more of a consumption-tax system for the U.S. U.S. lawmakers on both sides of the aisle increasingly are finding appeal in an ambitious concept for overhauling the nation’s income-tax system: a tax based on consumption, a tool long used around the world. [Reposted from…
Here is a letter from Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to a constituent who wrote asking him to oppose Fast Track trade authority. March 6, 2015 Dear Constituent: Thank you for writing to express your concerns regarding Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation and the Trans Pacific Partnership agreement. I agree that Congress and the American people…
A key section of the secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement has been leaked to the public. The New York Times has a major story on the contents of the leaked chapter and it’s as bad as many of us feared. [Reposted from the Campaign for America’s Future blog | Dave Johnson | March 27, 2015] Now we know why the corporations and the Obama administration want TPP, a huge “trade” agreement being negotiated between the United States and 11 other countries, kept secret from the public…
EMBARGOED UNTIL RELEASE AT 8:30 A.M. EDT, FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015BEA 15-13 * See the navigation bar at the right side of the news release text for links to data tables,contact personnel and their telephone numbers, and supplementary materials. Lisa Mataloni: (202) 606-5304 (GDP) [email protected]Kate Shoemaker: (202) 606-5564 (Profits) [email protected]Jeannine Aversa: (202) 606-2649 (News Media) …
R-CALF United Stockgrowers of America“Fighting for the U.S.Cattle Producer”For Immediate ReleaseMarch 25, 2015 Washington, D.C. – In written testimony submitted for today’s hearing on meat labeling requirements held by the U.S. House Agriculture subcommittee on Livestock and Foreign Agriculture, R-CALF USA urged subcommittee members to take no action that would in any way undermine the…
“What’s good for General Motors is good for America:” Most of us can remember when this old adage was true. Nowadays, what’s good for any transnational corporation will be good for them, but it will often be bad for America’s main street businesses and their workers. [Reposted from Mesquite Local News | Frank Shannon | …