June 23, 2015
Today the Senate voted 60-37 to invoke cloture on TPA. Five Republicans joined 32 Democrats in voting against the measure. A final vote on TPA is expected tomorrow, June 24.
June 18, 2015
Although TPA passed the House last week, the House of Representatives had to re-pass it as a standalone bill after the failure of TAA, which had previously been part of the trade package. As a standalone bill, TPA passed today by a vote of 218-208.
The path to success for this Obama-Boehner-McConnell trade deal is unclear. However, the bill is now in the hands of the Senate. Call your Senator and urge them to vote NO on TPA! The vote could be as early as next Tuesday morning.
Capitol Switchboard (202) 224-3121
Please Call: House to Vote on TPA AGAIN!
Although the failure of Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) was a setback for the President’s trade package (see below), Republican leadership in the House of Representatives is attempting to hold another vote on Trade Promotion Authority (fast-track) tomorrow, Thursday, June 18th. If this vote succeeds, TPA will go back to the Senate for another vote before heading to the president’s desk.
Please call your representative and tell him or her to vote NO on TPA when it comes up on Thursday.
Further Reading: No Wonder Obama Won’t Let Us Read TPP
TAA Fails – TPA Passes
Today, the House of Representatives considered two controversial trade-related bills, Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), that would empower President Obama to finish massive “free trade” agreements, namely the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The complicated vote series left the fate of the package up in the air. First came the vote for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). This ineffective and wasteful government program supposedly helps workers who lose their jobs due to foreign trade; in reality, it’s a bribe to garner Democrat support for trade.
Most Democrats voted against TAA in an effort to kill the whole trade package, and most Republicans opposed TAA as useless government spending. That left 86 Republicans who voted yes, either in support of more government spending or out of total commitment to moving President Obama’s top current legislative priority, TPA.
The following Representatives should hear your disapproval. Please call or tweet them this weekend:
| Aderholt Barletta Barr Barton Benishek Bishop (MI) Blum Bost Boustany Brady (TX) Brooks (IN) Calvert Coffman Cole Comstock Costello (PA) Crenshaw Curbelo (FL) |
Davis, Rodney Dent Dold Donovan Emmer (MN) Fitzpatrick Fortenberry Frelinghuysen Graves (MO) Grothman Guinta Guthrie Hanna Herrera Beutler Huizenga (MI) Hurt (VA) Issa Johnson (OH) |
Jolly Katko Kelly (PA) King (NY) Kinzinger (IL) Kline Luetkemeyer Marino McCarthy McHenry McKinley McMorris Rodgers Meehan Messer Mica Miller (MI) Moolenaar Murphy (PA) |
Nunes Paulsen Pitts Reed Reichert Rigell Rogers (AL) Rogers (KY) Rokita Roskam Royce Ryan (WI) Scalise Shimkus Shuster Simpson Stefanik Stivers |
Thompson (PA) Thornberry Tiberi Trott Turner Upton Valadao Wagner Walberg Walden Walters, Mimi Whitfield Wilson (SC) Young (IA) |
The TAA vote failed, but the House moved onto the second part of the package, Trade Promotion Authority (TPA). TPA empowers President Obama to make his trade deals with foreign countries and takes away Congress’s ability to amend any agreement. Only 54 Republicans voted NO. Please call and thank them for their brave vote:
| Aderholt Amash Brat Bridenstine Brooks (AL) Buck Burgess Clawson (FL) Collins (GA) Collins (NY) Cook |
Donovan Duncan (SC) Duncan (TN) Farenthold Fleming Garrett Gibson Gohmert Gosar Griffith Harris |
Hunter Jenkins (WV) Jolly Jones Jordan Joyce Katko Labrador LoBiondo Lummis MacArthur |
Massie McKinley Meadows Mooney (WV) Mulvaney Nugent Palmer Pearce Perry Poliquin Posey |
Rohrabacher Rothfus Russell Smith (NJ) Webster (FL) Westmoreland Wittman Yoho Young (AK) Zeldin |
Please note that while they voted NO on TPA, the following Representatives voted YES on TAA: Aderholt, Donovan, McKinley, Jolly, and Katko.
Although the failure of TAA today delays the process, Speaker Boehner has the power to bring TAA back to the floor next week. The outcome of that vote will determine the fate of this trade package.
Please keep up the pressure! Contact your Representative and urge him or her to vote NO on TAA when it comes back next week.
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