Senate Democrats have blocked debate on giving President Obama fast track authority on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).
This is one of the few matters which has seen co-operation between Obama and Senate Republicans. However, the TPP has been negotiated in secret and members of Congress have little to no access to its content. So, for once, I’m in agreement with Harry Reid.
But it’s Elizabeth Warren who has been leading the charge against TPP and, lately, Obama has been giving Warren the Netanyahu treatment recently calling her “a politician like everybody else”.
Yes, I know other Presidents have received fast track authority including Ronald Reagan where it concerned the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (which eventually became NAFTA). Still, it’s pretty blatantly unconstitutional.
But putting the constitutionality of it to the side if Republicans don’t trust the Obama Administration to negotiate a nuclear agreement with Iran then why the hell do they trust to negotiate a trade deal with a dozen other countries?