Senators voted to invoke cloture on legislation to set up fast-track procedures for the passage of trade deals negotiated by the president. The 62-38 vote ends debate on the bill and clears the way for a vote on passage, possibly before the Memorial Day recess.
Prior to the vote, Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala, warned Senators American workers could be hurt under the first likely trade deal to be handled under fast-track procedures – the Trans Pacific Partnership. The following are excerpts from his speech:
“Fast-track is an affirmative decision by Congress to suspend several of its most basic powers for the next six years and to delegate those powers to the Executive. A decision of this magnitude should only be made based upon the most thorough debate, the most complete evidence, and the most compelling data provided by proponents on the key questions…So, have the proponents of this fast-track procedure—chief among them the President of the United States—furnished to this Chamber the facts and the evidence necessary to convince us that we should shut off debate, close down amendments, and move quickly to up-or-down final passage?
“I would submit that not even our most basic questions have been answered, nor have the deepest concerns of the American people been addressed. Two weeks ago, I sent a letter to the President asking how he planned to use this fast-track authority and what it would mean for American workers. These questions should not have been difficult to answer—he has been working on the Trans-Pacific Partnership for years. Not one of these questions has been answered.
“Aren’t we as Senators entitled to these answers? Aren’t the American people entitled to these answers? For too long, the United States has entered into trade deals on the promise of economic bounty only to see workers impoverished and industries disappear…We can’t keep doing the same thing and expecting different results…The American people are understandably skeptical…Americans believe by a 70-30 margin that the last twenty years of trade deals have benefitted other countries..
“Because TPP is a “Living Agreement” it can be changed after adoption. Dangerously…[it] could empower the President, in executive agreements with other countries, to admit more foreign workers into the United States—without ever coming to Congress for approval…We are going to need to recognize the realities of rapid automation and low workplace participation and ask honestly how many new workers can effectively be employed in this country.
“We don’t need a fast-track to a bad deal. We need a good deal that advances the national interest. We need a return to the basic principles of responsible and diligent governance. Congress needs to defend its shareholders: the American people.”
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., blocked two amendments Sen. Sessions offered to prevent the executive branch from abusing trade authority to promote an agenda that the American people, through their elected Members of Congress, oppose. The first amendment would have ensured that all Senators, not just the Chairman of the Finance Committee, would be able to object to the inclusion of immigration provisions in future trade agreements. The second would have required the Administration to seek congressional approval for changes made to free trade agreements after Congress has granted initial approval.
NumbersUSA will score a vote for Trade Promotion Authority as a vote for continued executive overreach and a vote against American workers.
Read more of Sen. Sessions’ speech. Also read his release “Myth vs. Fact on Fast-Track Executive Authority.”
