Requisite Committee Hearings Proceed Prior to TPP Vote

by Crista Huff

 

The House Ways and Means Trade Committee began a series of hearings this week, in which House members are discussing how trade policies affect specific sectors of the economy.

By holding hearings on trade policies, without specifically publicizing them as dedicated hearings on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, the committee can accomplish a necessary prerequisite to the TPP ratification vote, without actually alerting the general public to this pending, unpopular vote during the 2016 election year. Once the hearings are out of the way, that eases the time crunch associated with Congress’ potential lame duck vote on TPP ratification.

Initial hearings concentrated on agriculture yesterday, which is the most vocally supportive industry of the TPP.

A variety of Republican House members expressed concerns about the TPP, but no Democratic House members spoke with concern or opposition to international trade in general, or to the TPP. Republican concerns included:

• The level of Japanese market access for U.S. rice exports;

• the U.S.’ NAFTA-related complaints against Canada regarding product & pricing problems that are harming U.S. milk protein exports to Canada.

• the negative effects of trade agreements on the U.S. economy;

• and the lack of effective enforcement of non-tariff barriers to fair trade. 

The rice industry stands out among agriculture groups as one that is very concerned about the TPP’s effect on its market. The USA Rice Federation does not yet support the TPP; while the United States Rice Producers Association (USRPA) is opposed to the deal.

(Source: Inside U.S. Trade, June 16, 2016)

 

* * * * *

 

Crista Huff is a stock market expert and a conservative political activist. She is the Chief Analyst at Cabot Undervalued Stocks Advisor; owner/operator of Goodfellow LLC, an outperforming stock market website; and she works with End Global Governance and issues groups to defeat the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. Send questions and comments to research@goodfellowllc.com.

 

* * * * *

Investment Disclaimer

Release of Liability: Through use of this website viewing or using you agree to hold www.GoodfellowLLC.com and its employees harmless and to completely release www.GoodfellowLLC.com and its employees from any and all liability due to any and all loss (monetary or otherwise), damage (monetary or otherwise), or injury (monetary or otherwise) that you may incur.

Goodfellow LLC and its employees are not paid by third parties to promote nor disparage any investment. Recommendations are based on hypothetical situations of what we would do, not advice on what you should do.

Neither Goodfellow LLC nor its employees are licensed investment advisors, tax advisors, nor attorneys. Consult with a licensed investment advisor and a tax advisor to determine the suitability of any investment.

The information provided herein is obtained from sources believed to be reliable but is not guaranteed as to accuracy or completeness. When information is provided herein from third parties — such as financial news outlets, financial websites, investment firms, or any other source of financial information – the reliability or completeness of such financial information cannot be guaranteed.

The information contained on this website is provided for informational purposes only and contains no investment advice or recommendations to buy or sell any specific securities. This is not an offer or solicitation for any particular trading strategy, or confirmation of any transaction. Statements made on the website are based on the authors’ opinions and based on information available at the time this page was published. The creators are not liable for any errors, omissions or misstatements. Any performance data quoted represents past performance and past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Investments always have a degree of risk, including the potential risk of the loss of the investor’s entire principal. There is no guarantee against any loss.