GOP leaders move to cut immigration out of trade talks

By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Wednesday, June 10, 2015

GOP leaders moved to ban President Obama from negotiating changes to U.S. immigration policy in any new trade deal, working feverishly Wednesday to secure final support as they prepare for a Friday showdown on granting the White House fast-track trade authority.

Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican who has made tackling immigration a priority, said he’d struck a deal with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan to include language in the trade bills that will come to the floor this week that would prevent Mr. Obama and future presidents from dealing with immigration as he negotiates with potential trade partners.

“You cannot put changes in immigration laws in a trade agreement,” Mr. Ryan said.

Immigration has proved to be one of the sticking points for Republicans, who will have to provide most of the votes for Mr. Obama’s top domestic priority of his final years in office.

Mr. Ryan also moved to prohibit Mr. Obama from tackling global warming in trade negotiations.

The dynamics of the trade debate have produced an unholy alliance between Mr. Obama, who’s battling his own party, and Republican leaders, who are trying to give new negotiating authority to a president they don’t trust to follow through on his word.

It’s created a tense situation, with rank-and-file Republicans insisting on changes they hope will keep the president penned in as he tries to negotiate a deal with 11 other Pacific Rim nations.

GOP leaders have scheduled a vote Friday on so-called “fast-track” legislation, or Trade Promotion uthority (TPA), which gives presidents the power to negotiate deals and then submit them to Congress for an up-or-down vote.

Mr. Obama wants the power so he can complete the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...t-trade-talks/

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In 2003, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution that said no immigration provision should be in trade agreements – and in fact, former Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY) voted for this resolution.

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http://www.alipac.us/f9/revealed-sec...eement-320236/

If Steve King does not get some help on this issue this congressional term, we will turn the poor guy into an old man in two years.

Why would any Republican vote for any fast-track trade negotiation authority for any President when the trade deal is against the best trade interest of the United States?

I applaud the Republicans standing up for American Workers and denying the immigration issues associated with free trade agreements, but even without immigration issues, the trade deal itself sucks, is designed solely to pave the way for more industries to leave the United States and take all their jobs, investment and technology to other countries.

Free trade deals are like foreign aid. They just suck resources out of the United States without any benefit in return.

Republicans in Congress today need to reconnect with their roots, the history of the Republican Party, and realize that Republicans are and have always been protectionists, not isolationists, but protectionists, and our goal was to encourage lots of international trade but on terms that benefit our nation and citizens when the trade affects our market. It was Democrats who were the free traders, who wanted low tariffs to exploit lower paid labor in other countries.

So why switch? Because the Bushes switched? Why follow the path of failed Presidents who ran up our budgets, opened our borders, flooded our nation with more people than we can sustain, cost US 20 million good jobs and delivered absolutely nothing else to show for it?

Why do this again to the United States? Why?

Has anyone said what the proposed benefits are to the United States and the American People?

Nope. Not a word. This time they didn't even bother. This time they made it all "secret". That's because this time they can't lie about it and tell us "free trade is good for America", we know it isn't. This time they can't lie about creating lots of new jobs from the trade agreement, we know it won't.

Then, why in the hell do it?

http://www.alipac.us/f12/paul-ryan-c...atrade-320264/

This is so bad. KILL THE BILL and kick anyone who votes for it out of Congress in 2016.