Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism

At Democratic convention, DeLauro defies Obama on trade

  • Politics
  • by Ana Radelat
  • July 27, 2016
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"
Connecticut Sanders delegate Mercedes Alonso holds up a sign opposing the Trans-Pacific partnership trade pact on the first day of the convention.

ANA RADELAT / CTMIRROR.ORG

Connecticut Sanders delegate Mercedes Alonso holds up a sign opposing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact on the first day of the convention.

PHILADELPHIA – What’s one thing Rep. Rosa DeLauro and Donald Trump have in common? Their shared opposition to a new trade pact with Pacific Rim nations that President Obama hopes Congress will approve before he leaves office.

The Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, has a high profile at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia this week, with supporters of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders using it as a rallying cry in their opposition to the nomination of Hillary Clinton.

As Secretary of State, Clinton helped draft the accord among the United States and 11 Pacific Rim nations.

The convention hall is awash with “No TPP” banners, signs and buttons, and Democratic activists representing the nation’s labor unions and environmental groups are lobbying Democratic lawmakers to make sure their opposition to the pact stays solid.

Clinton now says she’ll oppose the accord, and DeLauro, D-3rd District, one of the staunchest foes of the TPP in Congress, says she believes her.

But DeLauro also said, “We have to trust, but we have to verify” Clinton’s TPP position, echoing former President Ronald Reagan’s remarks about negotiating an arms control agreement with former Russian President Mikhail Gorbachev.

GOP Presidential candidate Trump also opposes the TPP.

Trump said it would not only “undermine our economy, but it will undermine our independence.”

“The TPP creates a new international commission that makes decisions the American people can’t veto,” Trump told a group of supporter in New York in June.

Meanwhile, administration officials have indicated Obama may press for a vote in Congress on the accord after November’s elections and before Clinton or Trump assumes office in January.

The political rhetoric surrounding the international agreement, which affects one-third of the world’s trade and nearly 40 percent of the global economy, has been heated. Obama and other supporters say it’s needed to keep the United States competitive in an increasingly globalized economy.

Opponents say it will move U.S. jobs overseas and weaken U.S. environmental and safety protections.

Labor unions, who are spearheading opposition to the TPP, point to the North American Free Trade Agreement, a trade pact former President Bill Clinton negotiated with Mexico and Canada, as proof of the “job killing” effects of international trade pacts.

Rosa DeLauro

AANA RADELAT / CTMIRROR.ORG

Rep. Rosa DeLauro addresses members of the United Food and Commercial Workers union.

On Wednesday, DeLauro, the guest speaker at a gathering of members of the United Food & Commercial Workers International Union, said, “The dirty little secret in Washington about the Trans-Pacific Partnership is that it is not actually about trade.”

“This is an agreement designed to insulate the interests of multinational corporations,” she said.

Pressure on Himes

On the day Obama was scheduled to address the convention, DeLauro asked the labor union members to redouble their efforts to oppose the pact and work to persuade the 28 House Democrats who voted to give the president “fast-track” authority to negotiate the deal to join them.

Rep. Jim Himes, D-5th District, was among that group of Democrats, and his vote riled labor leaders in Connecticut.

Himes said he has not made up his mind on TPP, even as he voted for fast track, which prohibits lawmakers from amending the trade pact and limits the Congress to an up or down vote on the deal.

“Remember, 28 Democrats voted for fast-track trade authority,” DeLauro said. “The next six weeks are a critical time to make your voices heard while members are back in their districts. You have to inundate them with your concerns about this agreement.”

DeLauro told the union members “you have to be cordial” with undecided lawmakers or those in opposition and reminded them that, “Congress is an institution that responds to external pressure.”

Clinton’s pick for vice president, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, who was officially voted as the nominee by delegates on Wednesday, also voted to give Obama fast-track authority.

Kaine, who will be introduced to the nation in a prime-time speech Wednesday, now says he opposes the trade pact.

The Democratic platform, adopted by delegates on Monday, is critical of the TPP. But Clinton supporters blocked adoption of a plank that would forbid Congress to vote on it.

DeLauro said she supported the platform’s language on the TPP. But she also said she preferred to have it say there should not be a vote on the trade pact during Congress’s lame duck session.

Unlike other union members who are concerned about the depth of Clinton’s opposition to the TPP, Roman Ulman, a Clinton delegate from Arizona and an official of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Retirees, said the candidate’s position is solid.

“When she worked for the president, she had to be favorable to it because her boss was favorable to it,” she said. “But not any more.”

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ana Radelat Ana has written about politics and policy in Washington, D.C.. for Gannett, Thompson Reuters and UPI. She was a special correspondent for the Miami Herald, and a regular contributor to The New York TImes, Advertising Age and several other publications. She has also worked in broadcast journalism, for CNN and several local NPR stations. She is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Journalism.

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Health issues carried weight on the campaign trail.
by Victoria Knight | Kaiser Health News

Even with the Democrats’ newfound Senate majority, differences in health policy between the party’s moderate and progressive wings will persist.

Trump’s pardons included health care execs behind massive fraud
by Fred Schulte | Kaiser Health News

At the last minute, President Donald Trump granted pardons to several individuals convicted in huge Medicare swindles that prosecutors alleged often harmed or endangered elderly and infirm patients while fleecing taxpayers. “These aren’t just technical financial crimes. These were major, major crimes,” said Louis Saccoccio, chief executive officer of the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association, […]

Panel recommends small, inflationary pay hike for state officials
by Keith M. Phaneuf

Connecticut's part-time legislature hasn't received a pay hike since 2001. The annual base-pay for senators and representatives is $28,000.

The game is changing. Chris Murphy says he’s ready to play.
by Mark Pazniokas

The question for Sen. Chris Murphy no longer is where might he go next, but what can he do now.

Joe Biden takes office: ‘At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed.’
by Mark Pazniokas

America took a deep breath and watched Joe Biden uneventfully inaugurated outside a Capitol invaded two weeks ago by rioters.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Miguel Cardona, who are you?
by Ann Policelli Cronin

When I ask Connecticut teachers about Miguel Cardona, those who know him or have worked with him say that he is really nice guy who knows what the challenges in our classrooms are, knows how to help teachers to improve their teaching, and respects public schools. All good. But what is his vision for teaching and learning that he will bring to the U.S. Department of Education?

Opinion Connecticut needs a strong two-party system, this Democrat says
by Edward Marcus

J.R. Romano’s recent resignation as the state’s Republican Party chair has brought into focus the need for a viable opposition party in Connecticut. It is not healthy politics when everything is totally controlled by one party:  the legislature, the governorship, and most of the major municipalities in our state.

Opinion Connecticut’s $100 million college shell game
by Stephen Adair

The plan to consolidate the 12 community colleges in Connecticut into one college with 12 campuses is called “Students First,” which is ironic because it does not fund students first.  It funds a new administration in a new, statewide bureaucracy. The Board of Regents (BOR) and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system office […]

Opinion Inconsistent television captioning is a barrier to equal access
by Jeffrey Bravin and Barbara Cassin

Our world long ago entered the age of the 24-hour news cycle, and a full understanding of the “who, what, when, where and why” of the news is critical for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing citizens. Yet, Connecticut’s inconsistent quality of television captioning locks our community out of the complete sense of what is happening.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO