USTR Refuses To Show Up For Senate Hearing On Fast Track
from the how's-that-for-working-closely-with-congress dept
One of the biggest concerns that we've heard from Congress about the USTR's desire for fast track authority is the fact that the USTR has been positively dismissive of Congressional attempts at transparency. While the USTR pretends that getting fast track actually means great cooperation with Congress, apparently USTR boss Michael Froman decided to bend over and tell Congress to kiss his ass by not even bothering to show up for the Senate's hearing on fast track authority.This shows the kind of disdain that the USTR appears to hold Congress in. Congress remains a mere nuisance in the USTR's ongoing efforts to put forth the best agreement possible for a bunch of crony friends who will soon be offering USTR staffers new jobs as lobbyists.Several committee members said they were puzzled and disappointed that USTR Michael Froman passed on an opportunity to convince some skeptical lawmakers they need to establish Fast Track authority for President Barack Obama’s priority Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement.
“I wish they were here,” said Portman, a member of the committee and a former US trade representative under President George W. Bush. “It’s important.”
If the USTR can't even bother to show up to argue for fast track, while arguing how important it is, perhaps it suggests that Congress really ought not to give the USTR that kind of power. So far, the USTR has not been transparent. It has directly lied, repeatedly, to the American public about what it's trying to do, and when given the chance to explain itself to the Senate committee in charge of the very bill it wants to give it more power over the TPP and TTIP/TAFTA, it blows it off.
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Filed Under: congress, fast track authority, international trade, michael froman, oversight, senate, tpp, trade promotion authority
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If I was in the Senate...
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By fire, I meant out of a cannon and into the sun.
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'sides, even if they DO get FTA, they still have to make TPP look harmless enough for all the Congressmen on the electoral 'chopping block' to vote for during an election year, when they don't want to do anything too drastic because it might cost them their seats.
As the Zen Master says, "We'll see."
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US Hates Congress
Most of America fully understand that Congress is presently filled with a bunch of idiots who wont do anything unless it is to 'get back' at the president, and block everything they can for partisan reasons..
I can understand why no one would want to talk to them, this congress is lucky to be able to pass wind.
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the real kicker though must be that as USTR chose not to show, it must mean there is a lot more to hide than it is obviously trying to make out. surely Congress has enough clout still to make it toe the line? to do as it's supposed to? if not, what's the point of Congress? we've already seen just how little power it seems to have over the Security Forces and the courts
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Time for turnabout perhaps?
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Shows whos really in charge
Sad really. Shows just how far the corporations have gone in controlling the world and the USA in particular. No need to pretend anymore.
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Re: Shows whos really in charge
What will be the really telling point is if the two houses still approve FTA, and then TPP after it, as that will make it loud and clear that despite any objections, or insults to their 'authority', both congresscritters and senators are still willing to dance to the corporate tune.
Hopefully(though I'm not terribly banking on it), this little snub will be the proverbial last straw, and make the fence sitters in both houses declare, and then vote as such, that FTA is off the table, and that if TPP hits the houses, it will be gone over publicly, despite what it's pushers want.
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