House Passes Defense Appropriations Bill; Obama Threatens Veto Thus Closing Down the Military

What's with the "half salute?

Today in Washington, D.C. - May 15, 2015
The Senate is not in session today and will reconvene on Monday and resume consideration of H.R. 1314, the vehicle for the Trade Promotion Authority bill. The first two votes on amendments to the TPA legislation are scheduled for Monday evening.

Yesterday, the Senate voted 65-33 to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to H.R. 1314, as Democrats dropped their initial filibuster of trade promotion authority after gaining a delay of one day and a spate of negative headlines.

Also yesterday, the Senate voted 97-1 to pass H.R. 1295, a reauthorization of trade preferences for African countries and many others, and 78-20 to pass H.R. 644, a customs bill that includes language treating currency manipulation as an unfair trade practice subject to retaliatory tariffs.

The House reconvened today at 9 AM. and proceeded to H.R. 1735 — "To authorize appropriations for fiscal year 2016 for military activities of the Department of Defense and for military construction, to prescribe military personnel strengths for such fiscal year, and for other purposes." After considering several amendments to the bill, at 11:02 AM, the House passed (269-151) H.R. 1735. A 2011 bipartisan budget deal placed caps on defense and domestic spending. The defense bill skirts the limits of a 2011 bipartisan deal placing caps on defense and domestic spending by putting $89 billion of the total into an emergency war-fighting fund exempt from the caps. Again the U.S. House, under Republican leadership, has timely passed another appropriations bill. Will the Senate be able to do the same? However, President Obama has threatened to veto the bill.

As of this article no further bill are being considered. Some administrative House issues and one minute speeches on the floor will until the House adjourns. The House will reconvene on Monday, May 18, 2015, at noon. No legislative business will take place until 2 PM.

Yesterday the House passed:
H.R. 2297 (423 0) — "To prevent Hezbollah and associated entities from gaining access to international financial and other institutions, and for other purposes."
H.R. 2252 (Unanimous Consent) — "To clarify the effective date of certain provisions of the Border Patrol Agent Pay Reform Act of 2014, and for other purposes."
H.R. 1191 - On motion that the House suspend the rules and agree to the Senate amendments to the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act of 2015 (400-25).

Another voice has weighed in on Trade Promotion Authority bill in the Senate. Charles Krauthammer makes the case for free trade and addresses some of the arguments that have been made against trade promotion authority. He writes, “That free trade is advantageous to both sides is the rarest of political propositions — provable, indeed mathematically. David Ricardo did so in 1817. The Law of Comparative Advantage has held up nicely for 198 years. Nor is this abstract theory. We've lived it. The free-trade regime created after World War II precipitated the most astonishing advance of global welfare and prosperity the world has ever seen. And that regime was created, overseen, guaranteed and presided over by the United States.”

Krauthammer explains, “Fast-track authority allows an administration to negotiate the details of a trade agreement and then come to Congress for a non-amendable up-or-down vote. In various forms, that has been granted to every president since Franklin Roosevelt.”

He notes the concerns some have that TPA grants more authority to the president. “Having strongly opposed Obama’s constitutional usurpations on immigration, health care, criminal justice and environmental regulation, I’m deeply sympathetic to that concern. But in this case, there is no usurpation. There is no congressional forfeiture of power. Fast track has been the norm for 81 years. And the final say on any trade agreement rests entirely with Congress.”

But he does make sure to take the president to task for his usual treatment of his opponents and his ongoing lack of ability to engage Congress. Krauthammer writes, “Like all modern presidents, Obama wants a deal. But he has utterly failed to bring his party along. It’s not just because for six years he’s treated all of Congress with disdain and prefers insult to argument when confronted with opposition, this time from Democrats such as Elizabeth Warren. It’s also because he’s expended practically no political capital on the issue. He says it’s a top priority. Has he given even a single televised address?”

That aside, Krauthammer succinctly lists the benefits of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which TPA is a necessary precursor for. “As for the merits, the TPP is a boon for America. It reduces tariff barriers to vast Asian markets and strengthens protection for intellectual property, America’s forte. . . . Moreover, the overall gain is more than just economic. In our deadly serious competition with China for influence in the region, the TPP would anchor our relations with Pacific Rim nations. If we walk away, they will inevitably gravitate to China’s orbit. The question is (as Paul Ryan and Ted Cruz succinctly put it in the Wall Street Journal): Who is going to write the rules for the global economy — America or China?”

In the on-going debate, it is also noted that:

• Seven former Secretaries of Defense, including Robert Gates, Leon Panetta, and Donald Rumsfeld, recently wrote to congressional leaders “to express our strongest possible support for the enactment of Trade Promotion Authority legislation, which is critical to the successful conclusion of two vital trade agreements: the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).”
• Eight former Secretaries of Agriculture wrote to Congress, saying, “[W]e know firsthand the importance of trade to America's farm and ranch families. Access to export markets is vital for increasing sales and supporting farm income at home.” They argued, “Trade helps farmers, their suppliers, distributors and customers. Exports support rural economies and the U.S. economy as a whole through agricultural processing, ancillary services and a host of related businesses. This was true when each of us served as US Secretary of Agriculture, and it is true now. … For us, the choice is clear: we encourage Congress to enact Trade Promotion Authority and support trade agreements that help U.S. farmers, ranchers, and producers thrive.”

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