Senator Jeff Sessions (R-AL) declared TPA’s “entire purpose” is “for Congress to surrender its power to the executive branch” and said TPP was a “nascent European Union” in a speech on the Senate floor Monday.
Sessions wondered, “Why do we have to create a transnational union, an institution that has the power, as I will explain, to impact the laws of the United States of America? It’s not necessary.”
He added, “It [TPP] will be a living agreement, and that means that the entity itself, the commission, will then be entitled to make it say different things, eliminate provisions it doesn’t like, add provisions it does like. In fact, the commission is required to meet regularly and to hear advice for changes from outside groups, from inside committees of the commission, so that they can update the situation to changed to circumstances.”
Sessions then stated, “It is a breathtaking event. It says it’s designed to promote the international movement of people, services and products, basically the same language used to start the European Union. In fact, I have referred to it as a nascent European Union.”
Sessions predicted TPA would lead to passage of a trans-Atlantic agreement, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, (TTIP) which he supposed would have a similar commission.
He continued, addressing those who claimed TPA would restrict the president’s power, stating, “Give me a break. If this were true, why would the president want it? … The entire purpose of fast-track is for Congress to surrender its power to the executive branch for six years.”
Later, Sessions turned to the Trade in Services Agreement, (TiSA), saying, “the European Union Commission specifies that this services agreement, TiSA, will be modeled on the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).” Sessions argued that this showed that TiSA would impact US immigration policy, because back when the US joined the WTO in 1994, it signed GATS and agreed to issue a certain number of visas annually.
He further added that he was starting to believe President Obama is pushing for TPP because the international commission will give him “powers that he believes will allow him to advance agendas.”
(h/t Real Clear Politics)
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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