Congress votes Tuesday on trade deal - an attack on middle class and American workers...

Alert date: 
Monday, May 11, 2015
Alert body: 

The Senate is scheduled to vote on TPP on Tuesday. It is very important that it NOT be given fast track.

OFIR members:  Here are direct-dial numbers for Oregon Senators.

Capitol Switchboard -- (202) 224-3121 or direct dial numbers below.

When you call - you could say:

I urge you to oppose S.955, the bill that would grant fast-track trade authority to Pres. Obama. I believe Congress should retain its power to review and amend any trade agreement that the United States enters into, and by granting Pres. Obama fast-track authority, Congress would be giving up that power.

As Sen. Jeff Sessions from Alabama pointed out in his 5-page memo, free trade agreements have been used by past administrations to bypass Congress and make changes to existing immigration laws. Given this president's track record on immigration, I don't understand why you would want to give him such broad authority. Please tell the Senator to read Sen. Sessions' memo and oppose TPA.

Senator Ron Wyden – 202-224-5244

Sen. Wyden is a major supporter of the trade bill.  Please call him first.

***Senator Jeff Merkley – 202-224-3753

Sen. Merkley recently sent a letter to constituents critical of the fast-track trade bill.  The letter included this statement:  “The Senate Finance Committee recently considered a bill that would provide fast-track trade negotiating authority, and it is expected to be debated by the full Senate in the near future. The current bill does not meet the standards I have described, and I will oppose it in its current form.”

Please thank him for his position and urge him to stand firm in opposition to the fast-track trade bill.

Should both chambers of Congress pass "fast-track" legislation, Pres. Obama, and future presidents, can ram through international trade agreements that expand guest worker programs without any public debate.

For further understanding - please read:

There are numerous serious, significant consequences to passing the TPP. One is that it can open immigration floodgates. And unlike other trade agreements, a future president may unilaterally change the terms of the agreement as she sees fit.

Sen. Jeff Sessions has listed numerous failings of the TPP:
 
"There are numerous ways TPA could facilitate immigration increases above current law-and precious few ways anyone in Congress could stop its happening. For instance: language could be included or added into the TPP, as well as any future trade deal submitted for fast-track consideration in the next 6 years, with the clear intent to facilitate or enable the movement of foreign workers and employees into the United States..."
 
From a constitutional point of view, the proposed TPA powers are a nightmare. They allow the Executive Branch to create ever-shifting binding agreements with foreign powers that will not be subject to Congressional approval. Congress will only be able to vote agreements up or down, instead of being able to offer amendments.
Furthermore, ceding such powers to Barack Obama guts the constitutional objection to Barack Obama's Executive Amnesty. After all, if Congress doesn't feel itself capable of reviewing legislation on something as important on trade, why should it have any input on immigration?...

What's worse, only two Republican Senators (Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Mike Lee of Utah) have confirmed that they bothered to read the trade deal they will be voting on this week...and have declared they will vote against it....