The effects of Trump’s big win are now coming into clear focus. The TPP trade deal which was pushed mainly by the Obama administration and “free trade” Republicans is now dead…and not a moment too soon.
From The New York Times:
Republican congressional leaders have confirmed what might seem obvious with Mr. Trump’s triumph: Mr. Obama’s far-reaching trade agreement with 11 Pacific Rim nations is dead.
The Senate majority leader, Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, said flat-out “No” when reporters asked on Wednesday if the pending Trans-Pacific Partnership — the largest regional trade deal in history — would be considered in the lame duck Congress that convenes next week.
“I think the president-elect made it pretty clear he was not in favor of the current agreement,” Mr. McConnell said. Mr. Trump has the authority “to negotiate better deals, as I think he would put it,” Mr. McConnell added, but that prospect is unlikely given the difficulty of renegotiating a pact at least seven years in the making among a dozen countries.
By the way, Democrats should be thanking Mr. Trump. He just did, in what two days, what they couldn’t do in two years:
The deal never had much of a following among congressional Democrats to begin with. Only 28 of 188 House Democrats and 13 of 44 Senate Democrats supported granting Obama the authority to negotiate and finalize a deal last year. And Trump’s rise has decimated support for free trade among Republicans. A former U.S. Trade Representative, Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, said he would oppose the TPP as he campaigned for reelection this year.
This is a direct result of Trump getting elected. You’ll see more of this as we move forward. Our guy won and it’s going to pay off. Bigly.
