WASHINGTON — The Senate on Tuesday handed President Barack Obama the biggest legislative victory of his second term, with a dramatic vote clearing the way for major trade agreements with Pacific Rim nations and the European Union.
The vote all but ensures the passage of legislation that will allow Obama to “fast-track” the trade pacts he negotiates through Congress, preventing filibusters or amendments. Liberals have long assailed Obama’s trade agenda, but Republicans successfully wooed a bloc of Democrats led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) to secure enough votes to overcome a filibuster.
The vote came down to the wire, thanks to an eleventh-hour reversal by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who announced his opposition in a bombastic an op-ed for Breitbart News that sent Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) scrambling for additional Democratic support.
With the 60-vote threshold clearred, the path is now open for the Senate to take a final vote on the legislation on Wednesday.
Many Democrats insisted their vote was conditioned on the passage of a separate Trade Adjustment Assistance bill that would provide financial aid and job training to workers who lose their jobs due to foreign competition. The fate of the TAA bill, however, remains undecided. The Senate will likely pass TAA legislation on Wednesday, but the bill faces steeper challenges in the House, where Republicans overwhelmingly oppose it. President Obama has said he wants both TAA and the fast-track bill, also known as Trade Promotion Authority, to be enacted. House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he will deliver the votes necessary for its passage.
Votes on the trade deals themselves will come later in Obama’s tenure, and the fast-track authority will extend into the next presidency. First in line, however, is the Trans-Pacific Partnership with 11 other Pacific Rim nations. Democrats, labor unions, environmental groups and open Internet advocates have sharply criticized leaked drafts of the pact, saying it will exacerbate income inequality and undermine key regulations. Obama, Republican leaders and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce have all said the deal will boost economic growth.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/23/senate-fast-track_n_7645348.html
Whether it passes and becomes “law” or not doesn’t really matter at this point, because (as with various EU countries, if the voters or legislatures voted EU membership down, its backers kept making sure the issue kept on being brought up for votes until it passed) someone in Congress/Senate will just keep bringing it up until it passes…and furthermore, the US govt. will continue to bow to the criminal psychopathic elites/banksters/corporate thugs even if the damned (and I mean damned!) “Law” never passes anyway! The psychos in the Congress/Senate know damned well who owns them (and they call us “slaves”!), and unless they do the bidding of their masters they are either kicked out in the next “election,” assassinated, or their families are.
As for that so-called “movement” to phone Senators and tell them to vote against this nonsense (or the “don’t come home” crap), a complete waste of time…like I said this thing will be on the table until it passes.
Unfortunately, DC is a corporation within a multinational corporation. It is really like saying that a dog will mate with a dog…Folks, it’s dog mating season in the district of criminals!
This is PROOF of rigged elections and foreign interests in our “government”. Otherwise, these traitors wouldn’t be in there. But they do this with IMPUNITY, because they know elections are rigged and it doesn’t matter how much they alienate us.
There’s only one solution to this insanity.
Guns.
Part of the trade agreement includes provisions to remove our guns. In addition, draconian “climate change” agreements are included!
I hate to say that I know what I am talking about, as one of my relatives is a politician that overheard other politicians talking about the commie crap!
He went on to say that those two facts are why Obama doesn’t want us to know what is in the trade agreement! I believe him.
Then obviously it IS the only solution.
For us.
This may be the beginning. The people you call congress can not even read this BS without a life threatening signature of non disclosure in a hermetically sealed room.
Democracy my ass. Go vote!
Prepare for the worst, pray for the best.
Practice and train.
“Many Democrats insisted their vote was conditioned on the passage of a separate Trade Adjustment Assistance bill that would provide financial aid and job training to workers who lose their jobs due to foreign competition.”
So they are OK with the treasonous act of sending our jobs overseas as long as those who lose their jobs get financial aid and job training?? We don’t want government aid or job training. WE WANT OUR JOBS BACK, YOU SICK BASTARDS!!!! Stop putting a band-aid on a problem that you started, you ZIONIST PSYCHOPATHS!! May you all burn in Hell! 😡
“House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has said he will deliver the votes necessary for its passage.”
Really? And I thought he was a member of the opposing party to Obama. Funny, how he is doing Barry’s bidding all the time now. Once again, pure proof that we have no two-party system. Only one.