The real issue is passage of the Trans Pacific Trade Agreement, an agreement with 12 Asian Pacific countries, but NOT China. Exact contents of this deal are secret, but presumably there will be tariff reduction on all sides. I've heard there might be a lot of other stuff too, like immigration policy, standards for inspection of this that and the other (food, drugs, who knows what), gun control, and anything else that strikes Obama's fancy.
However the "world's greatest deliberative body" cannot just do an up or down vote on the trade deal. First they have to vote to have an up or down vote, "fast track authority" it's called. Without "fast track" the bill is doomed, every one hoss congress critter will amend it, and the other 12 participants won't accept US amendments. Usually the Congress votes to extend "fast track authority" to the President as a matter of course. Except Obama has ruffled so many feathers on capitol hill that they won't vote him hardly anything anymore.
Then, today a new boondoggle surfaced, "Trade Adjustment Agreement" (TAA) or some such. This is a presidential slush fund to "compensate" (pay off) US workers who loose their jobs because of foreign competition, which a tariff cut will strengthen.
They had a vote today, but it is unclear what passed and what did not. I think the TAA was voted down and "fast track" was voted in, but the TV newsies haven't been very clear about what really happened. Bret Baier was on Fox calling it a big defeat for Obama. The president's mouthpiece was saying everything is hunky dory. On this one I think I believe Bret Baier over the mouthpiece.
Would be nice to get a straight story out of the newsies.
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