The Truth about Fast Track TPA

By Stephani Scruggs

Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) is a piece of legislation that transfers Constitutional negotiation powers from Congress to the President who may use this power to negotiate any international trade agreement with any partner he chooses over the next few years (including Iran and Cuba) and to negotiate the agreements in any way the President sees fit.  Under TPA, Congress agrees to give up in advance the ability to change any existing or future trade agreement, even before Congress has actually read the agreements.  Instead, TPA requests the President consider 150 'negotiating objectives' on which Congress would like the President to 'make progress.'  The President is not required to actually accomplish any of these objectives and may ignore those requests at will.  In fact, the 2015 TPA bill makes clear that failure to achieve or make progress on any of the negotiating objectives shall not be cause for Congress to revoke trade authority from the President. Worst of all, by giving up its ability to amend or change any related laws and regulations, the President and the World Trade Organization decide to impose on the U.S.; Congress is also transferring its law-making powers to world courts. [more...]