News List

A misguided (or misleading) opposition really has no idea what it’s talking about. The current debate over Trade Promotion Authority proves, once again, that the classic description of the anti-globalization movement—as “largely the well-intentioned but ill-informed being led around by the ill-intentioned and well informed”—still holds true. Despite the tireless efforts of trade policy experts to explain why TPA and the U.S. trade agreements it’s intended to facilitate are, while imperfect, not ... Read more

Congress is expected to vote soon on whether to grant trade promotion authority (TPA) to President George W. Bush. Some critics of TPA have suggested that it might compromise national sovereignty and may actually be unconstitutional. But an important aspect of national sovereignty is the right to enter into international agreements and to participate in their enforcement. Being bound by agreements, such as mutual defense treaties, does not weaken sovereign power even though it obligates nations ... Read more

Before presidential politics — the game of getting to 270 electoral votes — completely eclipses governing, there is the urgent task of getting to 217 votes in the House of Representatives to pass trade-promotion authority (TPA). This would guarantee a vote without amendments on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Without TPA, any trade agreement will be nibbled to death in Congress by those eager to do organized labor’s bidding. So, Republicans who oppose TPA are collaborating with th... Read more

That free trade is advantageous to both sides is the rarest of political propositions — provable, indeed mathematically. David Ricardo did so in 1817. The Law of Comparative Advantage has held up nicely for 198 years. Nor is this abstract theory. We’ve lived it. The free-trade regime created after World War II precipitated the most astonishing advance of global welfare and prosperity the world has ever seen. And that regime was created, overseen, guaranteed and presided over by the United States... Read more

There is a sound criticism of the legislation commonly referred to as Trade Promotion Authority: it’s overdue. A bill was put forward yesterday and hits the right notes on commerce and American leadership, while promoting transparency. Introducing it two years ago would have been better, but some may even see a benefit in the delay. The title of the bill, “The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015,” just rolls off the tongue. Opponents focus on granting the pre... Read more

Now she knows how I feel. In a statement posted to her campaign website, Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts laments that the Obama administration has kept secret the details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership — TPP for short — the decade-in-the-making free trade agreement between 12 Pacific Rim countries that will soon be put to a vote in Congress. “If the American people would be opposed to a trade agreement if they saw it,” she writes in bolded text, “then that agreement should not become... Read more

Dear Speaker Boehner and Leader McConnell: On behalf of the free market, taxpayer advocacy, and limited government grassroots and public policy organizations listed below, we urge you to pass Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) as soon as possible. TPA is a necessary step to get Congress moving on a long-stalled trade agenda. Without it, there is little hope that this Congress will make any progress on advancing free trade, a conservative public policy goal which all our organizations support. TPA g... Read more

With the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations reported to be nearing completion and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) talks kicking into higher gear, Congress is expected to turn its attention to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation in the weeks ahead. That’s where opponents of trade – mostly from the Left, but some from the Right – have decided to wage the next battle in their war against trade liberalization. Tactically, that makes some sense because, if ... Read more

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., penned a joint op-ed for the Wall Street Journal Wednesday calling on Congress to pass Trade Promotion Authority legislation. The two conservative lawmakers argue that the legislation, also known as "Fast Track," is urgently needed to strengthen the U.S.'s ability to negotiate future trade deals. "By establishing TPA, Congress will send a signal to the world. America's trading partners will know that the U.S. is trustworthy and then put their b... Read more

A bill cosponsored by Rep. Steve Knight (CA-25) that would help veterans access capital to start small businesses passed out of Small Business Committee this morning. H.R. 2499, the Veterans Entrepreneurship Act of 2015, would expand opportunities for veterans coming home from their service by removing barriers to capital for starting their own business. It instructs the Small Business Administration to waive upfront fees for loans under $350,000 to veterans. Because it does not appropriate any ... Read more