[CTC] National Security Case For TPP 'Very Powerful' For Democrats, Says Rep Kind

[Arthur Stamoulis]

Two articles below….

INSIDE US TRADE
Rep. Kind: National Security Case For TPP 'Very Powerful' For Democrats

September 28, 2016 
House Ways & Means Democrat Rep. Ron Kind (WI) this week said the national security argument for the Trans-Pacific Partnership --which was recently laid out to lawmakers in a classified briefing -- is “very powerful” for House Democrats considering whether to support the deal in a lame-duck session.

“There are a lot of ongoing conversations on TPP, and in the last week the New Democrat Coalition and others had a classified national security briefing on TPP and what the security implications are,” Kind told Inside U.S. Trade on Sept. 27. “It's a very powerful argument; it's not just trade, it's an important tool in our diplomatic and national security arsenal.”

“You can sit around and wait for the perfect all day long in this place,” Kind -- who chairs the moderate coalition --continued, “but at some point you gotta make a decision, and right now there are huge consequences from not bringing this up or voting no on it. I just encourage Republican leadership to schedule this for a vote because you will then start seeing decisions being made.”

While acknowledging the difficult political climate surrounding trade policy and TPP, Kind noted that “a lot” of his Democratic colleagues have not yet ruled out voting for the deal -- adding that some of those members may express support only after the election.

“In light of the electoral politics out there this year, most members probably aren't eager to take a position before the election and you'll probably see a lot of movement after the election,” Kind said, noting that his goal for TPP is “to be north” of the 28 Democratic votes for TPA last year.

“But to a lot of my colleagues' credit, those who voted no on [Trade Promotion Authority], they've kept their powder dry, they've kept their options open, they're still learning more about the significance of this agreement, so I'm still somewhat hopeful and optimistic that there's a window here after the election and to be able to move forward,” Kind added.

The national security argument for the deal has repeatedly been made by members of President Obama's cabinet, as well as by former secretaries of defense <http://insidetrade.com/node/153898> and TPP supporters on Capitol Hill.

According to Kind, military leaders will “be weighing in much more actively” after the election in making the case for why TPP is needed.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry this week emphasized the national security argument for TPP, charging that failure to ratify the deal would have serious, long-term consequences for the U.S. strategic interests in the Asia-Pacific and result in a loss of credibility for the U.S. among current and future partners in the region.

“From my perspective as Secretary of State, the strategic case for TPP is not just crystal clear -- it could not be more vital for the national security interest and the long-term strategic goals of the United States of America,” Kerry said on Sept. 28 at an event hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center.

“Either the United States of America is an Asia-Pacific power or we are not. And the not carries with it serious consequences,” Kerry added.

Kerry -- as the latest of cabinet officials to tout the deal's benefits -- emphasized the “connection between America's strategic leadership and our policies on trade.”

“If America won't enter into partnership with us on economic matters,” he said of the 11 other TPP countries, “why should we look to Washington for guidance on political or security matters?”

“The inescapable bottom line is that with TPP we will be far better positioned to enhance our national security and to protect our interest in the world's most dynamic region than we will be without this agreement.”

Kerry's arguments were rebutted the same day <http://insidetrade.com/node/155999> by Ways & Means Ranking Member Sandy Levin (D-MI), who charged that despite the geopolitical aspects of TPP, trade agreements “must be able to stand on their two economic feet."

“An agreement that is not in our economic interest cannot be in our national security interest because our national security depends on our economic strength, including in manufacturing,” Levin added.

While calling TPP a “landmark” trade deal that is “absolutely essential to the [U.S.] economic well-being,” Kerry also made clear it is not “a cure for every economic ill” -- adding that “no trade agreement is and can be.”

Rejecting it, however, would be “a giant step backwards,” according to Kerry.

“We can't talk about the rebalance to Asia one day and then sit on the sidelines the next and expect to possibly send a credible message to partners and to potential partners around the world,” Kerry said. “Foreign policy doesn't work that way, folks; not in a time when international friendships are based to a large measure on consistency of action and consistency of purpose and consistency of partnership.” -- Jenny Leonard (jleonard at iwpnews.com <mailto:jleonard at iwpnews.com>)



https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/kerry-warns-of-serious-consequences-if-us-backs-away-from-tpp-trade-pact/2016/09/28/49fcca32-8595-11e6-92c2-14b64f3d453f_story.html <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/kerry-warns-of-serious-consequences-if-us-backs-away-from-tpp-trade-pact/2016/09/28/49fcca32-8595-11e6-92c2-14b64f3d453f_story.html>
Kerry warns of ‘serious consequences’ if U.S. backs away from TPP trade pact

 <>By David Nakamura <http://www.washingtonpost.com/people/david-nakamura> September 28 at 3:21 PM
Secretary of State John F. Kerry sought to raise the stakes Wednesday in the debate over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, warning that U.S. leadership and credibility in Asia would be severely damaged if Congress fails to approve the largest regional trade accord in history.

The fate of the 12-nation pact, known as the TPP, will go a long way toward determining “whether the United States of America is an Asia-Pacific power or whether we are not — and the ‘not’ carries with it serious consequences,” Kerry said in a speech at the Wilson Center.

Kerry’s impassioned defense of the agreement came two days after the two major-party nominees for president, Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton, criticized the impact of multilateral trade pacts on American workers and denounced the TPP in a nationally televised debate.

Though polls show that a majority of Americans favor international free trade, widespread skepticism in manufacturing-heavy swing states, including Ohio and Pennsylvania, has put the future of one of President Obama’s top economic priorities in doubt. Republican leaders in Congress have said it is unlikely that the pact would be considered for a ratification vote before Obama leaves office in January.

Kerry called on lawmakers to approve the deal in an expected brief lame-duck congressional session after the Nov. 8 elections. Without naming Trump or Clinton, he said that trade skeptics who have warned of economic “doom and gloom . . . have consistently been proven wrong.”

The secretary cast the trade accord as a crucial strategic initiative underpinning the Obama administration’s attempt to “rebalance” U.S. foreign policy away from the Middle East and Europe and toward greater attention on Asia.

The Obama administration spent five years negotiating the deal <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obamas-evolution-on-trade-will-put-him-at-war-with-his-party/2015/04/15/dabd42f4-ccc8-11e4-a2a7-9517a3a70506_story.html>, which covers countries that account for about 36 percent of the world’s gross domestic product. The pact includes advanced economies such as Japan, Canada and Singapore as well as some of the world’s least developed, such as Malaysia and Vietnam. 

“We can’t withdraw from the TPP and still be viewed as a central player in the Pacific Rim and an undisputed force for peace and prosperity across the globe,” Kerry said. “Our partners worldwide need to know they can always look to us for principled leadership, with no uncertainty and no doubt.”

The TPP is a sprawling, 30-chapter accord that addresses tariff reductions for agriculture and automobiles, as well as intellectual-property rights for movies and pharmaceutical drugs, the free flow of information on the Internet, wildlife conservation, online commerce and dispute settlement practices for multinational corporations.

The debate over trade has become central to the 2016 campaign. Trump’s opposition to the TPP has muted support among GOP leaders who had overwhelmingly backed legislation last year that granted Obama greater trade powers. Trump blames past trade deals for obliterating the U.S. manufacturing industry.

Clinton had been a forceful advocate for the deal <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/on-trade-deal-hillary-clinton-keeps-her-distance-from-obama-and-her-past/2015/05/11/bc2cc604-f7e1-11e4-9ef4-1bb7ce3b3fb7_story.html> while serving as secretary of state in Obama’s first term. But she reversed her position during a hard-fought Democratic primary campaign against Sen. Bernie Sanders (Vt.), who has vehemently opposed free-trade pacts.

During the debate Monday, Trump noted that Clinton had referred to the TPP as the “gold standard” of trade deals while serving in the State Department. Clinton responded that she had raised concerns over the deal in her book, “Hard Choices,” which was published after she left office, and formally renounced the pact after the final terms were announced last fall.

“Is it President Obama’s fault?” Trump asked her. “Because he’s pushing it.”

The administration has vowed to continue lobbying Congress <https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/with-time-running-out-obama-to-make-final-push-on-asia-trade-deal-that-clinton-opposes/2016/08/01/2213464c-57f3-11e6-9767-f6c947fd0cb8_story.html>, and Kerry’s speech was the latest in a coordinated campaign to promote the deal. Obama met with a bipartisan group of political and business leaders in the Oval Office to talk about the merits of the TPP two weeks ago.

On Tuesday, U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman published an editorial in the Houston Chronicle warning that the United States risked ceding ground to China. Although China is not a member of the TPP, Beijing is negotiating a separate regional trade pact in Asia that does not include the United States.

“If Congress delays, China will be all too glad to fill the vacuum and even our closest allies will feel the need to move on,” Froman wrote.

 
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