Kathy Castor explains why she opposed Obama on trade bill

Kathy_castor

In what is being depicted as a devastating blow to President Barack Obama, the House of Representatives on Friday resoundingly rejected a proposal that would grant financial aid to displaced workers by a vote of 302 to 126. That  damages the possibility that Congress will grant the president fast-track trade authority to complete the Trans Pacific Partnership, an accord with 11 other Pacific Rim nations.

The big news is how many House Democrats who generally stand by Obama opposed him on this vote, despite a last-hour lobbying effort. Among those usually reliable Obama supporters in the Democratic Caucus is Tampa Bay area Rep. Kathy Castor, who has consistent said she didn’t support the proposal.

“I am fundamentally concerned with higher wages and opportunities for my neighbors, small businesses and America’s working families,” she said Friday in a prepared statement. “The trade package will create winners and losers in the global economy and I refuse to allow American workers to be the losers, so I voted no today.”

Castor said she reviewed the classified TPP agreement, and was “troubled” it centered so much on “promoting powerful special interests rather than American values and jobs.”

“For example, the TPP elevates pharmaceutical company profits over public health when it comes to Medicare, Medicaid and global health concerns,” she said. “American and Florida seafood producers also are rightfully concerned with food safety and unfair economic pressure from questionable imports. Foreign corporations would be allowed to challenge American health and environmental regulations – not through the American legal system, but through unregulated arbitration panels. Any trade agreement should have stronger enforcement and dispute resolution mechanisms.”

As Castor noted, the provisions of the TPP have not been made available for the public to review, leading to major criticism for being opaque.

In an effort to draw more House Republicans to support the bill, earlier this week  House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin offered an amendment to a customs bill that would “ensure that trade agreements do not require changes to U.S. law or obligate the United States with respect to global warming or climate change.” Castor noted that inclusion as an additional poison pill, making it easier for Democrats to oppose.

“House Republicans also added language to the package that will weaken provisions relating to environmental protections, human trafficking, and currency manipulation, and blocked any opportunity to improve the bills,” she said. “At a time when the impacts of the changing climate must be addressed globally, it is especially unconscionable that Republicans added language to specifically prohibit climate change obligations in trade agreements.”

Pinellas County Republican Rep. David Jolly also opposed the bill. He told Florida Politics in May that although he actually he supports the trade bill, he simply had no trust in Obama to enact it properly.

 

Mitch Perry

Mitch Perry has been a reporter with Extensive Enterprises since November of 2014. Previously, he served five years as political editor of the alternative newsweekly Creative Loafing. Mitch also was assistant news director with WMNF 88.5 FM in Tampa from 2000-2009, and currently hosts MidPoint, a weekly talk show, on WMNF on Thursday afternoons. He began his reporting career at KPFA radio in Berkeley and is a San Francisco native who has lived in Tampa since 2000. Mitch can be reached at [email protected].



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, William March, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Jesse Scheckner, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704