[Infowarrior] - Senators Reach Deal On Massive Free Trade Bill No One Has Seen

[Richard Forno]

Is anyone else reminded of how the 'Patriot' act got passed?   Rush it through w/o reading it.  Back then, it was "because, terrorism!"  Now? Rush it through w/o significant hearings because it's a huge international deal years in the making that's "good for the economy."

More disturbingly, TPP is a *free trade* deal.  Why, then, was it classified for national security?  In the absence of other viable reasons, I can only surmise it's been classified to keep critics, both public and legislative, from "interfering" with deliberations until it was too late for them to meaningfully make a difference.    --rick


Senators Reach Deal On Massive Free Trade Bill No One Has Seen
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/16/fast-track-trade_n_7078804.html

Congress’ tax committees announced an agreement Thursday to speed through a bill to give President Barack Obama the fast-track authority that he will need to push mammoth new trade deals through Congress.

While a deal had been believed to be in the works, news that it was actually done came as a surprise to even members of the House Ways and Means Committee and the Senate Finance Committee, which called a hearing on the pact with less than 12 hours' notice.

< -- >

Brown also expressed frustration that one of his staffers with a proper security clearance was not allowed to look at the emerging TPP deal unless Brown was also present.

“Staff can get access to DoD documents, often to Iran sanctions documents, to CIA briefings, but we  can’t get access to Trans-Pacific Partnership texts,” Brown said. He noted that this made made it impossible for his staffer to stay up to speed while Brown was away in Ohio for two weeks.

Froman countered that he had already made it much easier for lawmakers to look at documents by making them available on Capitol Hill, instead of only at the U.S. Trade Representative offices, and by no longer hiding what the foreign negotiators were saying in the talks.

--
It's better to burn out than fade away.