Japan

Clips- 6.11.15

TPP:

California rice farmers find Japanese trade negotiators a bit starchy
The Los Angeles Times, 11 Jun 2015, Don Lee
MARYSVILLE, Calif. For years Charley Mathews Jr. has exported tons of his
best Sacramento Valley-grown rice to Japan, but it grates on him that very
little of that has ever ended up on the tables of sushi restaurants or Japanese
households.

Bipartisan Agreement: Foreign Governments Pay Former Senate
Leaders to Sell TPP
New York Observer News, 11 June 2015, Ari Rabin-Havt
In a scene all too typical in present day Washington, the culmination of Trans-
Pacific Partnership negotiations, along with the push for passage of related
legislation such as Trade Promotion Authority (or Fast Track) have set off a
lobbying frenzy.

Say No To Obamatrade Conservative Talk Radio Slams Trans-Pacific
Partnership
The Intercept, 11 June 2015, Lee Fang
Conservative talk show hosts across the country are training their fire at the
Trans-Pacific Partnership, the controversial trade agreement they now refer
to as Obamatrade.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership Is Making for Strange Political Bedfellows
Bloomberg, 11 June 2015, Sahil Kapur and Ben Brody
In a case of strange bedfellows, many Republican presidential hopefuls are
allying with President Barack Obama on his major trade initiative. Stranger
yet, some Republican contenders are attacking Hillary Clinton for not
supporting the president.

Leaked trade deal terms prompt fears for Pharmaceutical Benefits
Scheme
The Guardian, 11 June 2015, Gabrielle Chan
The leak of new information on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement
(TPP) shows the mega-trade deal could provide more ways for multinational
corporations to influence Australias control of its pharmaceutical
regulations.

Barack Obama faces jobs conundrum on global trade

Financial Times, 11 June 2015, Shawn Donnan

From their base in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, the residents of
Henry County, Virginia, used to live at the epicentre of the American furniture
industry. For more than a century they churned out affordably priced wood
bedroom sets with names such as Vista and Versailles destined for the
suburban homes of a rising middle class. Then came China and a flood of
cheap furniture that made it impossible for many companies to compete
unless they shifted production to Asia.


Opinion:

U.S., state economies need TPP
The Press-Enterprise, 10 June 2015, The Press-Enterprise Editorial
Rep. Mimi Walters guested this week on MSNBCs Morning Joe during which
the California Republican made a strong, albeit succinct, case for granting
President Obama trade-promotion authority.

TPA Putting Congress back in charge and improving transparency
The Hill, 11 June 2015, Reps. Bill Flores (R-Texas) and Kevin Brady (R-
Texas)
History shows that when America turns its back on free trade, the results are
disastrous. Most notably in 1807, Congress passed a self-imposed, peacetime
embargo that banned nearly all American exports, which subsequently
resulted in the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) plummeting by five percent
in just 15 months. In 1930, Congress passed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act,
raising import tariffs to historically high levels. This action was one of the
factors contributing to an over 50 percent reduction in U.S. trade and a huge
drop in GDP. In each case, these experiments were swiftly halted, and the
ensuing lessons were clear: actions which inhibit trade hurt economic
opportunity for hard-working Americans.

Ignore Obama and vote for trade-promotion authority
The Washington Post, 10 June 2015, George F. Will
Before presidential politics the game of getting to 270 electoral votes
completely eclipses governing, there is the urgent task of getting to 217 votes
in the House of Representatives to pass trade-promotion authority (TPA).
This would guarantee a vote without amendments on the Trans-Pacific
Partnership trade agreement. Without TPA, any trade agreement will be
nibbled to death in Congress by those eager to do organized labors bidding.
So, Republicans who oppose TPA are collaborating with those who oppose
increasing the velocity and rationality of economic life.


America must lead on trade: Congress should pass Trade Promotion
Authority (TPA) and advance free markets
Fox News, 10 June 2015, Rep. Kenny Marchant
Having led the world in free and open markets for generations, America now
faces a choice as simple as it is consequential: lead on trade, or get left behind

Free Trade Is Essential For Americas Future
The Daily Caller, 10 June 2015, Sue Myrick
As a former chair of the Republican Study Committee (RSC) when I served in
Congress I like to think I know a thing or two about conservative values.
And with the U.S. House poised to take up Trade Promotion Authority (TPA),
its critical for conservatives to look past the president sitting in the White
House and look toward Americas future. Trade is not only critical for U.S.
global leadership, it helps improve the lives of workers and families right here
at home. Currently, trade supports 1 in 5 jobs in America, and, by opening up
more markets to U.S. exports, we ensure that we can compete with the rest of
the world and help build an economy that provides good, high-paying jobs for
our children.

Trans-Pacific Partnership is not the free-trade deal it promises to be
(Guest opinion)
M-Live Lansing, 11 June 2015, Rep. Dan Kildee
Michigan knows all too well the negative consequences of bad trade deals.
We've all heard past promises of 'free trade' deals like NAFTA, that they will
create new jobs and bring investments. And over the last two decades, we've
seen just the opposite effect: factories shuttered and tens of thousands of
good-paying jobs lost overseas to countries like China and Mexico. Drive
through my hometown of Flint and you will see the devastating impact bad
trade deals have had on our economy, our communities, and our people.

Outside Washington, Democrats are onboard for trade
The Hill, 11 June 2015, Ed Rendell
Congress will soon decide whether to give President Obama the power to
negotiate modern trade deals that would expand economic opportunities for
working Americans. The media to date has focused on the heated debate in
Washington over the past several months, including within the Democratic
Party. But the conversation beyond the Beltway paints a much different
picture. Outside Washington, Democrats overwhelmingly support trade.

House Must Pass Trade Promotion Authority | Commentary
The Hill, 10 June 2015, Bill Archer, Bill Thomas, Jim McCrery and Dave

Camp
As former chairmen and ranking members of the House Ways and Means
Committee, each of us has been part of extensive trade negotiations. None of
us has ever seen Trade Promotion Authority legislation as robust and
transparent as the one before Congress today. We urge our former colleagues
to support TPA when it is considered in the House and deliver a win for
American workers and the national economy.



TPA:
Dems threaten to sink Obama trade agenda
Politico, 11 June 2015, Jake Sherman, John Bresnahan, and Lauren
French
President Barack Obamas trade agenda is running into potentially fatal
opposition within his own party on the eve of a critical vote, and there might
be only one person who can save it: Obama himself.
Speaker John Boehners plan to bring a package of trade bills to the House
floor Friday is proving to be a big gamble, as both senior Republicans and
Democrats are privately wondering whether they have the votes to pass
several key portions.

Republicans Tie Their Favorite Causes to the Trade Agreement
The New York Times, 10 June 2015, Jonathan Weisman
WASHINGTON With a final House showdown coming on Friday on
President Obamas push for accelerated power to pursue a sweeping trade
agreement, the vote brokering has begun and it is all tilting to the right.

Undecided Dem pushes fast-track addition
The Hill, 10 June 2015, Vicki Needham
Rep. Bill Foster (D-Ill.) is urging House leaders to strengthen rules that would
empower the White House to crack down on countries that lower the value of
their currency to gain a trading advantage. Foster, one of more than three
dozen Democrats who remain undecided on fast-track legislation, suggested
that stricter currency manipulation provisions must be included in the
measure to win his support. The bill is scheduled to hit the House floor on
Friday.

Left and Right Line Up Against Fast-Track Trade Legislation
The Wall Street Journal, 11 June 2015, William Mauldin
Some of the fiercest opponents of President Barack Obamas trade policy on
the left and right are sending notably similar messages in a bid to kill

legislation in the House designed to expedite a major Pacific trade deal. With
a deciding vote set for Friday, unions and progressive groups are emphasizing
arguments that also appeal to conservative organizations, accusing the
Obama administration of undue secrecy, stretching the limits of executive
power and undermining U.S. sovereignty.

Nancy Pelosi flexes muscle ahead of trade vote
Politico, 10 June 2015, Jake Sherman, John Bresnahan and Lauren
French
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had already delivered the message to
Speaker John Boehner: Democrats could not support Medicare cuts to pay for
a job-training program that is critical to pass fast-track trade authority for
President Barack Obama. But it was her good friend, Connecticut Rep. Rosa
DeLauro, who offered the blunt political message to Democratic lawmakers in
a closed meeting Wednesday: If you vote to cut Medicare, you could soon find
yourself out of a job.

Q&A: WaPo Congressional Reporter Paul Kane previews six things to
watch ahead of Fridays trade vote
The Washington Post, 11 June 2015, James Hohmann
Paul Kane, who covers Congress and politics for The Washington Post, is
legendary inside our newsroom for sending smart emails around about
whats coming down the pike on the Hill. Hes been fully immersed in the
trade battle for months. Late Wednesday night, when he was off deadline, we
mind-melded with PK, as hes known around town, about what to expect in
the next 36 hours.

Session Warns TPA Would Create Pacific Union Akin To European
Union
Breitbart, 10 June 2015, Jeff Poor
In a joint appearance on Sean Hannitys radio show on Wednesday, Sen. Jeff
Sessions (R-AL) and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) warned against the passage
of the so-called Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) currently being considered
by the Congress.

House GOP Ready to Move on Trade; Democratic Concerns Linger
Roll Call, 11 June 2015, Emma Dumain
Updated: 10:19 a.m. | Speaker John A. Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy
Pelosi appeared late Wednesday night to have cleared an impasse preventing
the House from moving forward on a package of trade bills and giving
President Barack Obama long-sought Trade Promotion Authority.

Obamatrade Isnt The Next NAFTA. But...

The Daily Beast, 11 June 2015, Michael Tomasky
And now its time for the Democrats civil war to take center stage. On Friday,
the House will vote on fast-track authority for the looming Trans-Pacific
Partnership trade deal. If the fast-track vote passes it would in essence mean
that Congress couldnt tinker with the substance of the deal the
administration has negotiated. The TPP itself will come up for a vote later.

AFL-CIO chief blisters Obama on trade
Politico, 10 June 2015, Adam B. Lerner
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka slammed the Obama administration in an
open letter, saying that the president has falsely characterized the labor
movement as opposed to trade in all circumstances.