Politics Cards (Negative)

TPA

A/T Bipartisan Support

Obama and McConnell will push for bipartisan support for TPA
Washington Post 12/09/14 (A website that does stuff. Staying on track ;
http://westhawaiitoday.com/opinion/editorial/staying-track ; DOA 12/12/14)
The U.S. labor market continues to heal. Employers created more than 300,000 new payroll jobs in November, the vast majority of them in the private sector. The
unemployment rate remains at 5.8 percent, but there are signs that wages at last are growing again, at least modestly. Of all major industrial economies, the United States is
probably the healthiest. Indeed, if favorable trends such as low oil prices continue, the economy might achieve the long-awaited escape velocity that would enable the Federal

Obama

Reserve to end its zero interest-rate policy without harming growth. For all the heat hes taking over other issues, from foreign policy to Ferguson, Mo., President
deserves more credit for the economys soft landing after the Great Recession, even if he has to share it with the Fed and the boom in domestic energy production. His

remarks in a meeting with the Business Roundtablelast week showed that he has at least a couple of realistic
ideas for how he and the new Republican-controlled Congress can help consolidate the
recovery in 2015. Specifically, Obama emphasized the prospects for a bipartisan agreements on tax
reform and international trade. Neither of those will be easy, but the latter is probably more
achievable in the short term especially if Obama follows through on his pledge to take on folks in my own party and in my own constituency who
oppose it. Republicans already back legislation that would permit Congress to consider proposed free trade pacts with the European Union and 11 Pacific Rim nations on an
expedited basis, once Obamas team finishes negotiating them. This bill, known as trade promotion authority (TPA), would make it easier for U.S. negotiators to complete the
deals because it gives the other nations involved greater assurance that Congress cannot undermine what the president agrees to. Yet until now, Senate Majority Leader Harry
M. Reid, D-Nev., a long-time trade skeptic, has slow-walked TPA. By contrast, Reids soon-to-be successor, Republican Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, is a TPA enthusiast. That
makes sense generally and especially with regard to these two proposed trade deals, which involve mainly high-wage, environmentally conscious trading partners such as

theres a potential for

agreement on trade. Still, TPA would take 60 votes to clear the Senate. If McConnell is willing to deliver most or all of his
Senate Republican majoritys votes for this long-postponed Obama administration policy
objective, and if Obama reciprocates by pushing Democrats to join, Americans will see growth-enhancing proof that
bipartisanship is not dead.
Europe, Japan, Australia and Singapore. In a separate meeting with business leaders, McConnell expressed the view that

Internal Links
TPA key to pass TPP and TTIP which are key to US and Global economy
Sabas 12/10/14 (Matthew Sabas is a Research Associate at Economics21 at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. New
Opportunities from Free Trade ; http://www.economics21.org/commentary/-free-trade-TPP-TPA-EU-12-10-2014 ; DOA 12/12/14)

The United States is negotiating two trade agreements that have the potential to expand U.S.
exports to a billion global consumers. The U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) would liberalize trade between the United States and 39 countries across five
continents, which collectively account for almost two-thirds of global economic output. The passage
of both treaties would be a boon for the U.S. economy. The competitiveness of domestic firms would rise dramatically in partner markets, as lowered trade barriers would make
the price of American merchandise drop abroad.

Opening up trade would also benefit American consumers, who

would gain increased choices in the marketplace. The United States began negotiations for entry into TPP in 2008 and TTIP in 2013 .

Both agreements have strong support from the White House and the House of
Representatives . However, the Senate, under Majority Leader Harry Reid, never granted President Obama the ability to make legitimate negotiations for free
trade agreements, known as Trade Promotion Authority. Mr. Reid allowed Trade Promotion Authority expire under President George W. Bush in 2007 and it was never
reinstated.

President Obama needs Trade P

romotion

Authority in order to speed up the agreements.

Negotiating free trade

agreements presents a conundrumCongress has authority over regulating foreign trade, while the president is responsible for negotiating treaties. Trade Promotion Authority resolves the ambiguity by allowing
Congress to set the objectives and rules for the United States during negotiations. In return, Congress must hold an up-down vote on the treaty when it is finalized. This balance prevents members of Congress
from slipping in special interest favors or using certain procedural tricks to prevent the agreed-upon treaty from becoming law. It also prevents a president from favoring his environmental and organized labor

. Our partners will not take trade negotiations seriously if

there is a chance that one disgruntled congressman could derail a painstakingly crafted treaty
that has been years in the making. The UKs House of Lords has noted as much in a recent report, stating, *w]ithout Trade Promotion
Authority, the United States cannot make serious offers as part of the TTIP negotiations. With Senator Mitch
base in negotiations and ending up with a treaty that will be vetoed by Congress

McConnell as Majority Leader, trade agreements will have another chance in America. However, there is still the possibility that rising protectionism abroad, particularly in

. This underscores the need for

Congress to act swiftly when it convenes in January. The figure below shows that the United States has substantial
exports to countries in the trade negotiations. TPP countries import 44 percent of total U.S. exports, and the EU
accounts for another 17 percent. By reducing anti-free trade practices in other countries, U.S.
exports to these countries will increase at a much faster rate, but the more technical aspects of the treaty-regulations could
be the most valuable for cutting export costs. If TTIP is passed, U.S. exports to the European Union are predicted to grow by
37 percent. The increase in U.S. exports would total $300 billion, increasing GDP by $125
billion annually and adding 13 million jobs to the economies by 2027. Approving TPP would lower trade barriers to
an alternative set of economiesJapan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. Though the countries
differ, the economic benefits do not. TPP would increase U.S. national income by an estimated
$77 billion per year, potentially leading to an additional $123.5 billion in U.S. exports by 2025.
There is no question that a massive influx of income would result from the passage of both
agreements. The increase to Americas export sector alone would be larger than the entire economy of Denmark. The U.S. economy would
benefit from an additional $200 billion in income, in addition to consumers access to superior
goods at lower cost. The signatories large economies and high share of international trade ensure that the proposed agreements will be felt globally. The
European Union, United States, and TPP economies account for 61 percent of the worlds GDP, and import 43 percent of all goods exported in 2013. The
development of high-standard, comprehensive trade agreements under the direction of the
U.S. would create the template for global trade and regulatory policy. To remain competitive in the worlds largest
economically-anemic Europe and Japan, could make it politically impossible to complete work on the negotiations

consumer markets, export-dependent countries such as China would have to adapt to the standards agreed upon by the European Union and United States, and among the TPP
countries. China is attempting to influence the outcome of the trade agreements by promoting an alternative plan with different set of standards, termed the Free-Trade Area
of the Asia Pacific (FTTAP). This trade agreement would include the 12 TPP countries, as well as China, Russia, and 7 other countries located in the Pacific region, as illustrated
below: Commerce and capitalism can only thrive in a fair market, and that is why the United States should pursue both agreements, adequately safeguarding American interests
and avoiding the advice of centrally planned or otherwise corrupt states. The TPP agreement has left the option for additional members in the Asia-Pacific region to join.

America would benefit from signing a high-standard TPP and then bringing China into the fold, rather than giving China the

opportunity to present a trade agreement that primarily fits Chinas agenda. Free trade should be Congresss first order of business. Otherwise, it will have squandered an
opportunity to expand employment and set global standards for international trade.

TPA is necessary to pass TPP, which is crucial for Latin American economic
stability
Desert News 12/05/14 (A website that reports stuff. In our opinion: U.S., Latin America benefit from Trans-Pacific Partnership
trading ; http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865617065/US-Latin-America-benefit-from-Trans-Pacific-Partnership-trading.html?pg=all ; DOA
12/12/14)

The Trans-Pacific Partnership

(TPP) has quickly become one of the largest trade opportunities in history, one that indicates a bright future in overseas trade for the Americas. The Atlantic Council, behind
As economies dip and slowly recover, its nice to see an example of fiscally diverse countries working together to improve global economies.

new chairman Jon Huntsman Jr., advocates for TTP and other advantageous trade options in an effort to expand trade between world powers. TTP is an economic potpourri,
having attracted advanced industrial countries like the U.S. and Japan as well as developing countries like Vietnam. In the 10 years since its creation, TPP has gained remarkable
traction in the global trade game. It originally started between four countries: Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore. A decade later, it is now the second-largest trade
option for the U.S., providing opportunities for a dozen countries to negotiate flexible free-trade agreements. To illustrate how effective the trade option is: TPP

currently represents 40 percent of global GDP, 26 percent of global trade and 40 percent of
U.S. trade. All of this after only a decade. But as beneficial as TPP is for the U.S., the benefits explode off the charts for our
neighbors down south Latin America. Latin America still exports the majority of goods and raw materials to the U.S., but
since 2000, Latin America has seen trade with Asia increase by a whopping 590 percent.

Due to the vast benefits of

TPP for Latin America, no region has more at stake in TPP than Latin
America . For instance, even if TPP fails in the long run, the U.S. still has other trade agreements,
such as the Transatlantic Trade Investment Partnership (TTIP) to fall back on. Latin America has no such Plan B . Trade between
Latin America and Asia most likely thrives due to similarities in standards of living between the regions, namely wages. As wages become more comparable (Asian wages are
decreasing to become more like those of Latin America), trading in commodities and manufacturing makes sense for both regions.

Global trade is difficult

because of fluctuations and diversity in economies. The Deseret News reported economic problems associated with current
members of TPP, such as Japan. The island country recently announced a countrywide recession. Chinas economy is also slowing down,
which affects the rest of the world economy. Like Japans economy, Chinas has slowed in part because of a major shift toward consumer
spending that hasnt paid off. In order for TPP to continue to succeed, it needs three things: advocacy about the plans geoeconomic benefits, more geographical balance and
clear communication about long-term goals. Countries that want to get involved need to know the direction TPP is taking and that they wont get tangled in a web of
overlapping bilateral deals. All of the countries involved need to be on the same page regarding rules on how their specific economies operate on domestic and foreign levels.

President
Obamas administration needs Congress to pass the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA)
associated with economic trade. This would require the Senate Finance Committee, of which Orrin Hatch will be the next chairman, to release a new TPA
draft bill that would encourage partisan support. In order for these very different countries to work together in trade , it comes down to Republicans
and Democrats working together. They should, as everyone involved stands to benefit from participating in TPP.
Most of the countries involved already prefer a free-market approach to trade and investment with rules to help keep them in line. By the end of the year,