Blackburn: The Facts on TPA

Statement

I have been thoroughly reviewing the language in the full and final Trade Promotion Authority bill, H.R. 1890, over the past several days. I have also read some of the analysis and summaries that different economists have offered. However, like you, I want to read the bills myself.

Many have contacted me with their concerns about Trade Promotion Authority. When traveling around my district, I consistently hear "Congressman, I support free trade, but I just don't trust this Administration." You know what? I don't trust him either, but TPA does not give the President one ounce of authority he isn't already granted by the Constitution. TPA is not about granting power, it is about establishing transparency and oversight. TPA will allow Congress oversight to make sure President Obama is exercising that authority properly and for the betterment of the United States and the American people.

Here are some of the facts:

FACT #1: TPA is the trade authority process. It does NOT include any trade agreement. What this 114 page bill does is lay out the process that a President must follow to both negotiate and seek approval for a trade agreement. Part of that process is on page 85 of the bill text, requiring the administration to make any trade agreement public and posted online for 60 days before the President can agree to it. That's also long before Congress actually votes on whether to accept it. Not only will this give Congress oversight, but it gives you all the opportunity to evaluate the proposed trade agreement as well.

FACT #2: Once TPA is approved, Congress has the power to stop TPP and other Fast Track Authorities (FTAs). TPA includes new language that the House or Senate can withdraw or override the expedited procedures for trade implementing bills or "fast-track" rules for various reasons if they disapprove. For the first time, the House has a new authority to strip TPA for a particular agreement -- even without having to get the Senate to concur. The House maintains full control over whether a trade agreement followed the guidelines and, thus, whether it maintains TPA protections.

FACT #3: A lot of you are under the impression that TPA allows the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to become a backdoor for President Obama to bypass Congress and expand immigration and climate change. This is simply not true. No law can be implemented via the TPP unless Congress agrees to implement it through a formal vote. Sec. 6 requires all agreements to be made public 60 days before enactment. Pages 92-98 sets a structure to allow Congress to use an off switch to stop a deal.

FACT #4: TPP is still being negotiated and is NOT what Congress is voting on this week. The text of any final TPP deal will be REQUIRED by law to be publicly available online for months before Congress votes on it. TPA actually exists to make trade deals like TPP more transparent and fair. Under TPA President Obama must make TPP available to the public for 60 days before he can agree to it. Then Congress has weeks and potentially months more to study the deal before a final vote. In short, everyone, members of Congress and the American people, will have months to read the deal before a vote.

FACT #5: Trade affects everyone. TPA is key to securing job-creating trade agreements that allows America to compete in a global economy and helps American workers.

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