Putting Congress in the Driver’s Seat

Trade Promotion Authority

The House of Representatives just voted in favor of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act, which approves Trade Promotion Authority (TPA).

TPA does not give the President additional authority; it actually puts Congress in the driver’s seat.

There are three main provisions of this version of TPA that are important:

• The text of any trade deal must be made public for anyone to read 60 days before it is voted on in the House (Section 106). You may have read a lot online about a number of doomsday, ‘what if’ scenarios in trade deals. Well, if any of those ‘what if’ scenarios came to pass, it would be made public, and Congress would have the opportunity to vote down the trade deal in question.
• TPA also requires the Administration to consult with Congress throughout the negotiating process (Section 105). Without TPA, the Administration would be free to negotiate as they wished. The President has the Constitutional authority to negotiate trade agreements with or without TPA (Article II Section II of the United States Constitution); TPA just ensures Congressional involvement, and that is a good thing. I want to be involved in trade agreements.
• TPA includes 150 clear and ambitious negotiating objectives from Congress to the Administration that set the priorities of any negotiation (Section 102). If the Administration deviates from these objectives, or does not meet them, there is an “off switch” in TPA — Congress can turn TPA off for each deal individually, and would then have an opportunity to amend any negotiated trade deal (Section 6).

Chairman Jeb Hensarling said of TPA:

TPA merely sets in place a process to negotiate potential trade deals, while maintaining the constitutional authority of Congress to finalize any such agreement or treaty. Again, TPA is not a trade agreement; it is a trade-negotiation process, nothing more and nothing less.

Chairman Paul Ryan and Senator Ted Cruz agreed:

The American worker can compete with anybody, if given a fair chance. … 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.

Even former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice supports TPA:

Trade-promotion authority is a critical tool in the conduct of U.S. diplomacy. It does not strip Congress of a role in negotiating trade agreements. It explicitly allows Congress to outline principles that must be heeded during negotiations and to exercise its constitutional duties by voting on negotiated agreements.

Under TPA, which this legislation approves, every member of Congress for each trade agreement will be able to:

• read the negotiating text;
• receive detailed briefings from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office on the status of negotiations at any time; and
• become a “congressional adviser,” and as a result eligible to attend negotiating rounds.

It is important to reiterate how many transparency and accountability measures were included in the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act.

When my constituents called my office and said, “don’t trust the President to negotiate these trade deals on his own,” and “don’t give the President more power,” I heard them.

I too have grave concerns about the President’s overreach.

TPA gives Congress the chance to dictate the terms, and that is why I voted in favor of this legislation.

This bill doesn’t have secret immigration riders. It doesn’t give the President any additional authority. Any assertions to the contrary are patently false.

I also believe in the power of free and fair trade — I am a free market conservative. Like Senator Ted Cruz and Chairman Paul Ryan said, I believe the American worker can compete with anyone, but not when the rules are stacked against them. By approving TPA, we can guarantee other nations will put their best ‘deal on the table,’ because they know it cannot be changed; only approved or denied.

Pending trade agreements on the horizon, including deals with Europe and Asia, will open the door to millions of new consumers for American businesses across the globe - a new, untapped market. Approximately 95% of the world’s consumers live outside the United States, and American businesses should have access to those consumers on a level playing field.

If the United States does not write the rules of the global economy, China will.

They are a known currency manipulator, and if China writes those rules, you can be sure that American employees, businesses, and consumers will suffer.

It is time for America to lead again. Robust trade deals in Europe and Asia will benefit America; it will make American businesses more secure, providing them a new host of potential customers, and will prevent actors like China from securing overbearing influence in the region.

Trade supports 2.4 million jobs in Florida, and Florida exported $59.3 billion in goods in 2013. The vast majority of these jobs come from small and medium-sized businesses.

TPA means good trade deals, with Congress in the driver’s seat. Without it, American businesses and consumers would suffer and Congress would be left largely in the dark.