Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) is pressuring House GOP leadership, particularly Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, to delay plans to muscle Obamatrade through the House of Representatives quickly. In in a letter to McCarthy obtained exclusively by Breitbart News, he’s asking leadership to slow down and consider the ramifications of what it is doing.
“I write to you today to request that you delay any vote on fast-track authority for the Executive until the President has made public all text and information pertaining to the new economic union known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Commission, as well the ‘Living Agreement’ authority,” Hunter wrote to McCarthy, his fellow California Republican. “My concern is that this allows the President and the members of the union to change the agreement and its membership following adoption.”
Hunter’s concern is well founded.
Despite claims from some Obamatrade proponents to the contrary, if Congress approves Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) which would fast-track and all but ensure the approval of the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) Pacific Rim trade deal, the “Living Agreement” inside the TPP would allow President Obama and the other TPP nations to add China or any other country for that matter to the deal without seeking approval from Congress.
China, President Obama confirmed last week, has been in talks with top Obama administration officials already and is interested in becoming part of TPP. If the House approves TPA as the Senate did—thereby ensuring that TPP will approved—then that technically means, despite anything proponents of this deal say, it would be empowering China and undermining the United States.
Hunter’s letter continues by noting that the TPP Commission would create a new global governance, ceding U.S. sovereignty to foreign and global interests, something Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) first revealed in a letter to President Barack Obama last week.
“The new Commission would be a self-governing, continuing body authorized to issue policies and regulations affecting our economy, our manufacturers, our workers, our immigration procedures, as well currency, labor and environmental practices,” Hunter wrote. “It is one thing to enhance executive authority with respect to a narrow set of trade policies, it is another to fast-track the creation of a new international structure before a single detail about that structure has been made available to the public.”
Hunter noted, too, that Republicans in Congress—since they do have a majority—should be skeptical of President Obama’s intentions.
“What we do know is that obtaining a grant of fast-track authority from Congress is among the President’s highest second-term priorities. That should be a strong signal that the President intends to make full use of that power in his remaining time in office,” Hunter wrote to McCarthy. “After all, fast-track would give the President a guarantee than any international agreement he reaches can be ratified without subsequent Congressional input. TPP is just the first of several.” He adds:
In the case of TPP, to approve fast-track would be to authorize the President to finalize this new Commission before we even know its authority and reach. Fast-track would also guarantee the President – and his foreign negotiating partners – ratification of this international Commission without the Constitutional treaty vote or even a Senate cloture vote. Shouldn’t we know the details of this new economic union before – not after – we have surrendered our ability to revise it, rewrite it, or regard it as a treaty?
McCarthy’s office has thus far refused to respond to Hunter’s letter. McCarthy spokesman Mike Long has also, for several days, refused to answer if the Majority Leader—who supports Obamatrade—has been to the secret room inside the Capitol to read the text of the TPP deal that he’s angling to fast-track.
That means that, like House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, Rules Committee chairman Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX) and Speaker John Boehner, McCarthy’s is choosing to give the public impression he supports legislation even though he wouldn’t know what’s in it. That’s similar to former Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushing Obamacare through because Congress supposedly had to pass the bill to find out what’s in it.
“The American people are understandably concerned about the loss of sovereignty under this Administration,” Hunter ended his letter to McCarthy.
We have seen, with immigration actions, how the Administration has sacrificed the interests of U.S. workers to benefit special interests. It would be irresponsible to give the Administration a green light to form a new, binding international governing authority before we are fully briefed on exactly how he plans to use it. We should not give up our leverage before we have answers.