Friday Vote: Congress Rushing the TPP Through Even Though They Know Americans Will Lose Jobs
By Melissa Dykes
ActivistPost.com
Thursday, June 11, 2015
The only reason Congress is holding out until Friday to vote on the TPP according to Politico is “They’re trying to resolve a last-minute hangup over aid for workers who lose their jobs to free trade”:
House leaders, confident but not yet certain they have the support to pass sweeping trade legislation, are aiming to bring the package to a floor vote by the end of this week — even as they rush to resolve a last-minute hangup over how to pay for aid to displaced workers.
The vote to grant President Barack Obama fast-track authority to negotiate a massive Pacific Rim trade deal will be extremely tight by all accounts. Senior aides and lawmakers in GOP leadership are intent on scheduling the vote at the moment they believe they have the votes locked up — ideally by Friday, to spare supportive lawmakers the possibility of another weekend of attacks by trade foes back in their districts.
“We’re doing very well, we’re close,” Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who’s been at the forefront of the GOP effort to round up support, said Tuesday of the current vote count. If Republicans want to bring the trade legislation to the floor Friday, they must decide Wednesday. [emphasis added]
The Rest…HERE
