Fellow Conservative,
Word is spreading through Washington DC that Congress plans to vote to approve the Trans-Pacific Partnership immediately after the November election. With Trump surging in the polls, they cannot afford to have this trade deal die.
This proposed trade deal with Asia is hated on the Right because it will build on the same job-killing legacy produced by NAFTA – forcing American manufacturers to compete with even more cheap, subsidized foreign goods. The Left hates the agreement because it gives corporations the power to veto a US laws if they are determined to be detrimental to the company’s bottom line.
Think about that. A deal that puts even more American manufacturing companies out of business and gives foreign companies the power to overturn American law if it hurts their profitability.
Donald Trump launched his campaign on his opposition to TPP. After previously calling it the “gold standard of trade agreements,” Hillary Clinton was shamed into opposing it last year by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders. Even Hillary’s Campaign Chairman John Podesta had to ask her staffers over email what position she decided to take on it…
Michael Froman is the United States Trade Representative who has been negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement on our behalf. He just announced that the votes are there to pass this horrible trade deal in a lame-duck session of Congress.
Whenever both the Right and Left unite against a particular issue, that is when it is most at risk of passing.
That might seem counter-intuitive, but let me explain. If both sides of the aisle hate something, but there are still sufficient votes for passage, that means that the corporate donors and lobbyists are pulling the strings.
The TPP has an attached provision that would provide millions of dollars to help re-train American workers who lose their jobs as a result of the agreement’s adoption. Michigan alone lost 214,000+ jobs in 2015 as a result of our trade deficit with TPP countries. Ohio lost 112,500 jobs and Pennsylvania lost 70,000 jobs.
When Congress gave the President Trade Promotional Authority last year, they also included new funding for Trade Adjustment Assistance in order to help all those who are laid-off or fired because of TPP. From the beginning, they have admitted that this agreement will be a job killer, but the Republicans support it anyway because they are puppets to their donors.
As I mentioned, TPP also expands on companies’ ability to sue the United States for damages. Chapter 11 of NAFTA, for example, exists to “protect investors” by allowing them to sue governments that pass regulations or laws that hurt their profits.
The Keystone Pipeline is the most recent example. When the Obama administration killed the Keystone XL pipeline project, the company sued the United States for $15 Billion in lost revenue because of this decision.
TPP will expand this practice to dozens of Asian countries as well. Any law that is passed in the United States or regulation that is enacted could be challenged by foreign companies for hurting their profits…
No matter how you slice it, TPP is bad for America. But Congress is preparing to approve it in the coming days as long as YOU don’t stop them!
This past summer, Paul Ryan gave a speech at a meeting of 400 wealthy donors. The meeting was organized by the Koch brothers.
At this meeting, Paul Ryan said that he was committed to passing TPP, regardless of what the American people wanted. He was met with a standing ovation.
When John Boehner was Speaker of the House, he received $5.4 Million from corporate lobbyists in order to convince him to support the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Paul Ryan reeived more than $2.4 Million. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell received more than $8.2 Million in pro-TPP lobbying money.
And now, with the US Trade Representative’s announcement that the votes are there for passage, a vote could come any day now.
Donald Trump has promised to veto TPP. Hillary Clinton has reluctantly promised to do the same. That is why Congress is scrambling to get this anti-American trade agreement passed!
Sincerely,
Joe Otto
Conservative Daily
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