Steve King Keeps Immigration, Climate Change Out of Trade Deals

Rep. Steve King (R-IA) successfully pushed legislation through the House that prevents the Obama administration from negotiating immigration and climate change provisions with trade deals.

“It’s got many provisions within it which I’m happy about…the currency manipulation provision is one of them,” King said of the legislation.

The House adopted King’s amendment, which keeps the Obama administration from negotiating immigration and climate change provisions in trade agreements, on Friday in the Customs Conference Report.

“There were those that had significant heartburn over Trade Promotion Authority, I’m one of them. There were two provisions that I so badly wanted to be included within the TPA legislation because I have a bit of a history of working to keep the immigration components out of trade deals. Congress needs to be passing immigration law, not trade negotiators,” King charged. He went on to say:

Well, that language is an amendment that is in here in the Conference Report along with language that prohibits the negotiations under Trade Promotion Authority on climate change. So, we are protected from executive decisions imposed upon this Congress in a usurpation of Article One authority by two-pieces of language in here. No negotiation under TPA can include climate change…and no negotiations under TPA can include immigration. Congress can speak to that, but they cannot negotiate that under TPA.

King said preventing the Obama administration from negotiating immigration law and climate change is very important to him and many people across the country.