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Ted Cruz presidential campaign, 2016/International trade
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 Ted Cruz |
U.S. Senator (Assumed office: 2013) |
 Republican candidate: |
2028 • 2024 • 2020 • 2016 |
This page was current as of the 2016 election.
- During the March 10, 2016, Republican debate, CNN moderator Jake Tapper said to Ted Cruz, "[Y]ou were a supporter of the Pacific trade deal, but after taking some heat from conservatives, you changed your position. Why should these voters who don't like these trade deals trust that you will fight for them all the time and not just in election years?" Cruz replied, "Actually that's incorrect. There are two different agreements. There's TPA and TPP. I opposed TPP and have always opposed TPP, which is what you asked about. And when it comes to trade, look, free trade, when we open up foreign markets, helps Americans. But we're getting killed in international trade right now. And we're getting killed because we have an administration that's doesn't look out for American workers and jobs are going overseas. We're driving jobs overseas. And the people who are losing out are in manufacturing jobs, or the steel industry or the auto industry. But I'll tell you who else is going to be losing out, which is the service industry. This Obama administration is negotiating the Trade in Services Agreement which is another treaty to allow services to come in and take jobs from Americans as well. And you've got to understand. Trade and immigration are interwoven, and they are hurting the working men and women of this country. So the question is, what's the solution? It's easy to talk about the problems. But do you have a solution to fix it? And I think the solution is several things. Number one, we need to negotiate trade deals protecting American workers first, not the corporate board room. Number two, we need to lift the regulations on American businesses here so we see jobs coming back. And number three, we need a tax plan like the tax plan I've introduced that will not tax exports and that will tax imports, and that will bring millions of high-paying jobs back to America."[2]
- On November 20, 2015, Cruz said that although he supports free trade, he does not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. He said, “There are a number of Republicans on that (debate) stage who support TPP, who support (the Trade Promotion Authority). I voted against TPA and I intend to vote against TPP. ... I believe we can negotiate a much better agreement with a strong conservative president than we have with Barack Obama."[3]
- On November 12, 2015, Cruz said that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal should not be voted on during a lame-duck session. “No conservative would want a bunch of members who have just been defeated or [are] retiring passing big government liberal policies with Obama in office. TPP needs to be voted on when members are accountable,” Cruz said.[4]
- On June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38, the Senate approved trade promotion authority (TPA) as part of HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. Cruz was one of five Republicans to vote against the bill. [5]
- On June 23, 2015, Cruz published an op-ed in Breitbart explaining why he no longer supported trade promotion authority (TPA). After stating he still believed in free trade, Cruz expressed concern that the version of TPA being offered in Congress was the product of "backroom deal-making" and a potential catalyst "for sweeping changes in our laws that trade agreements typically do not include" like immigration reform and the extension of the Export-Import Bank. Cruz stated, "Enough is enough. I cannot vote for TPA unless McConnell and Boehner both commit publicly to allow the Ex-Im Bank to expire—and stay expired. And, Congress must also pass the Cruz-Sessions amendments to TPA to ensure that no trade agreement can try to back-door changes to our immigration laws. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to vote no."[6]
- On May 22, 2015, the Senate passed HR 1314, which was used as a legislative vehicle for trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," by a vote of 62-37. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA). The bill also included a statement of trade priorities and provisions for trade adjustment assistance. Cruz voted with 47 other Republican senators to approve the bill.[7][8]
- In an April 21, 2015, op-ed in The Wall Street Journal, Cruz and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) urged Congress to pass Trade promotion authority (TPA), which they argued would hold the president accountable in future trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. They wrote, "Under TPA, Congress lays out three basic requirements for the administration. First, it must pursue nearly 150 specific negotiating objectives, like beefing up protections for U.S. intellectual property or eliminating kickbacks for government-owned firms. Second, the administration must consult regularly with Congress and meet high transparency standards. And third, before anything becomes law, Congress gets the final say. The Constitution vests all legislative power in Congress. So TPA makes it clear that Congress—and only Congress—can change U.S. law. If the administration meets all the requirements, Congress will give the agreement an up-or-down vote. But if the administration fails, Congress can hit the brakes, cancel the vote and stop the agreement. Trade-promotion authority will hold the administration accountable both to Congress and to the American people. Under TPA, any member of Congress will be able to read the negotiating text. Any member will be able to get a briefing from the U.S. trade representative’s office on the status of the negotiations—at any time. Any member will get to be a part of negotiating rounds. And most important, TPA will require the administration to post the full text of the agreement at least 60 days before completing the deal, so the American people can read it themselves. ...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 best offers on the table. America’s rivals will know that the U.S. is serious and won’t abandon the field. And the American people will know this trade agreement is a good, fair deal—because they’ll have the information they need to decide for themselves. Promoting American trade will create more opportunity in the country, and so we strongly urge our colleagues in Congress to vote for trade-promotion authority."[9]
- In January 2015, Ted Cruz said, "I am a full-throated advocate of free trade. Free trade benefits America, produces jobs, produces economic growth and it is good for our country."[10]
Recent news
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See also
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "Ted Cruz drops out of presidential race," May 3, 2016
- ↑ CNN, "Transcript of Republican debate in Miami, full text," accessed May 2, 2016
- ↑ Des Moines Register, "In Iowa, Cruz says he would vote against trade deal," accessed May 2, 2016
- ↑ Breitbart, "Ted Cruz: ‘Under No Circumstances Should The TPP Be Voted On During a Lame Duck Session’," November 12, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Motion (Motion to Concur in the House Amendment to the Senate Amendment to H.R. 2146)," accessed September 7, 2015
- ↑ Breitbart, "Exclusive – Ted Cruz: Obamatrade enmeshed in corrupt, backroom dealings," June 23, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 1314," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 1314 (Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act)," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ The Wall Street Journal, "Putting Congress in Charge on Trade," accessed May 12, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Left, right mobilize against Obama's trade push," accessed March 15, 2015
