Obama’s Push for Corporate Rule: A Moment of Opportunity – David Korten

Only a few months ago, President Barack Obama was at loggerheads with Republican members of Congress intent on destroying his administration. With bewildering speed, Obama has since turned against his own political base to form an alliance on trade issues with those same Republican members of Congress. Obama’s most vigorous opposition now comes from progressives, including most of the senators …

Killing a Nation With Euphemisms: TPP-Eats-Medicare Edition – By William Rivers Pitt

This week, legislation to give President Obama fast-track trade agreement authority (TPA) will take its star turn in the GOP-controlled Senate. The cloture vote is said to be taking place on Tuesday, and if the 60-vote threshold is reached, the final vote on the bill will happen the same day, or on Wednesday. More importantly, however, is the following vote, …

‘A Great Day for Corporate America’: US Senate Passes Fast Track – Deirdre Fulton

The cloture motion to end debate needed 60 votes and it got just that, passing the chamber 60-37. The full roll call is here. A final vote will come on Wednesday. Having overcome the biggest hurdle, the legislation is expected to pass, and will then be sent to President Barack Obama’s desk to become law. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who campaigned vigorously against …

Plan B: Ditch Help For Workers, Just Get Corporations What They Want – Jon Queally

Legislative maneuvering around Trade Promotion Authority (TPA or Fast Track) continued late Tuesday, as GOP leaders in Congress, the Obama administration, and a handful of anti-democracy Democrats hatched a plan to hold a straight vote on Fast Track—handing the White House the authority it wants to pass the Trans Pacific Partnership and other pending corporate-friendly agreements—while separating out a provision …

Trans-Pacific Partnership-Related Bill Contains A Medicare Poison Pill – Diane Archer

New disturbing information has surfaced that the House Republicans’ trade adjustment assistance bill, which supports the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal, contains a Medicare poison pill. The bill includes $700 million in Medicare cuts at the end of a 10-year budget period to cover the cost of trade adjustment assistance for displaced workers, Americans who will lose their jobs because …

With ‘Brave Tactic,’ Sanders Tries to Slam Brakes on Fast Track – Sarah Lazare

In what is being heralded as a “brave tactic,” Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday temporarily blocked lawmakers from rushing through legislation that would allow the Obama administration to “Fast Track” the controversial and highly secretive Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement. Sanders forcibly delayed the Senate Finance Committee from considering Fast Track legislation by using a rarely invoked senate scheduling rule, effectively preventing the …