Why Sen. Ted Cruz Supports the Trade Promotion Agreement

ted-cruz-constitutionx350Why Sen. Ted Cruz Supports the Trade Promotion Agreement (TPA)

I asked Sen. Cruz about the Trade Promotion Agreement and his support of it last night, Wed., 05/27/2015, in Kingwood. First, he reminded me that he has always supported free markets and increasing job opportunities for all Americans. Though the President has made the bad decision to classify the agreement, Sen. Cruz explained that this bill will be in force for the next 6 years, of which Pres. Obama will be in office only 19 more months. Our next President like those in the last century, will certainly need this authority to help jump-start economic prosperity for all Americans.

Below are highlights from the Op-Ed Sen. Cruz co-authored with Rep. Paul Ryan explaining why they support the Trade-Promotion Agreement, Paul Ryan and Ted Cruz: Putting Congress in Charge on Trade

One in five American jobs depends on trade, and that share is only going to grow. Ninety-six percent of the world’s customers are outside the U.S. To create more jobs here, America needs to sell more goods and services over there.

Thanks to lower duties on imports, the average American family saves $13,600 a year, according to a study by HSBC. But other countries put up trade barriers that drive up prices for U.S. goods and services and make it hard to sell them there.

  1. If you add up all 20 countries that the U.S. has a trade agreement with, American manufacturers run a $50 billion trade surplus with them.
  2. …not all countries have a trade agreement with the U.S.; American manufacturers run a $500 billion trade deficit with those nations.

That is why the U.S. needs effective trade agreements to lay down fair and strong rules that level the playing field. Without such rules, America’s trading partners will keep stacking the deck against job creators in this country. But Congress can’t just take the administration’s word that it will drive a hard bargain. We have to hold it accountable, and that is what trade-promotion authority will help do.

  1. First, it must pursue nearly 150 specific negotiating objectives, like beefing up protections for U.S. intellectual property or eliminating kickbacks for government-owned firms.
  2. …the administration must consult regularly with Congress and meet high transparency standards.
  3. before anything becomes law, Congress gets the final say. The Constitution vests all legislative power in Congress. So TPA makes it clear that Congress—and only Congress—can change U.S. law. If the administration meets all the requirements, Congress will give the agreement an up-or-down vote.

Under the Trade Promotion Agreement, any member of Congress will be able to read the negotiating text. Any member will be able to get a briefing from the U.S. trade representative’s office on the status of the negotiations—at any time. Any member will get to be a part of negotiating rounds.

And most important, TPA will require the administration to post the full text of the agreement at least 60 days before completing the deal, so the American people can read it themselves.

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