Trade Critics Dig in for TPA, TPP Fight, Claim Republican Victory Threatens Trade Agenda
Negative advertising on the 2014 campaign trail eclipsed debate over the issues that Americans are most concerned about, but the Communication Workers of America is committed to obstructing progress on Trade Promotion Authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership in order to safeguard U.S. workers, said the CWA in a Nov. 5 statement (here). Republicans trounced Democrats in the Nov. 4 mid-terms, and some analysts have said newfound Republican strength will help advance the U.S. trade agenda (see 1411050007).
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The CWA vowed to join a number of other unions and activists in the coming weeks to protest the trade initiatives (see 1410270010). “Kicking off a week of action next week, CWA will join with millions of environmental, community and human rights activists in fighting against ‘fast track,’ or Trade Promotion Authority, that would finalize the agreement without any debate or amendments,” said a CWA statement. “We’ll be demanding that the White House and Congress put its citizens before the corporate and financial interests that already define and dominate the global economy. We hope that the White House listens to the Democrats in Congress and the populist base. Republicans should also take heed -- their activists also oppose fast track and the TPP.”
The activist group Public Citizen, a frequent union ally in opposing trade agreements, also chimed in on Nov. 5, saying the election results actually reduce the chances of TPA passage (here). The Republican establishment will now likely be crafting TPA legislation but, according to Public Citizen, those lawmakers are unwilling to make changes to the legislation that will generate the necessary bipartisan support. "The old Fast Track trade authority mechanism faces a significant bloc of GOP House opposition and virtually no House Democratic support," said Public Citizen. "Changes to the actual terms delegating congressional authorities are also opposed by the business lobby. Nor do Hatch or the Ways and Means GOP leaders have the inclination or the relationships to widen the base of support for a bill."
More than 20 House Republicans, concerned over giving the president too much power, and nearly the entire Democratic House caucus vowed to oppose TPA roughly one year ago (see 13111415). Outgoing Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden, D-Ore., signaled months ago he was exploring options for a new TPA bill, after several lawmakers introduced a bill in January, but his staff has since been tight-lipped (see 14040919). Wyden’s approach may have generated broad enough support for TPA to pass both chambers, but the committee agenda will on Jan. 3 likely rest in the hands of ranking member Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Hatch co-sponsored the most recent TPA bill, but that measure is still bitterly contested.