UGH: Scott Walker to Republicans: Vote ‘Yes’ for Fast Track on Obama’s ‘Progressive’ Trade Deal

There’s going to be a very important vote in Congress Friday, the result of which could give Obama what’s being called fast track authority on the Trans-pacific Partnership trade agreement–a 12-nation deal to link 40% of the world’s economy.

Most of the trade deal that Obama wants is being kept a secrete. In fact, the bill itself is “classified” according to CNN.

“Only members of Congress and staffers with security clearance can access it,” wrote CNN’s Eric Bradner. “And they can’t make copies or even carry their own handwritten notes out the door.”

Friday’s vote passing means the Trans-Pacific Partnership gets done much quicker–as long as Congress’s objectives are met, it guarantees an up-or-down vote in Congress with limited debate and no added amendments.

Lawmakers on both side are torn over the deal.

The Obama administration has said the TPP deal will be “the most progressive trade deal in history.”

But liberal Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren has blasted the deal, writing in a report critical of the deal, she said “We have two decades of experience with free trade agreements under both Democratic and Republican Presidents. Supporters of these agreements have always promised that they contain tough standards to protect workers.”

“The rhetoric has not matched the reality,” the report said.

Now Scott Walker has come out in favor of giving Obama fast track authority on the trade deal.

When asked if House Republicans should vote to give Obama more executive authority over the trade deal, Walker said “yes.”

The strongest critic against what he calls “Obamatrade” is Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions.

Sessions said, “promoters of fast-track executive authority have relied on semantic obfuscation in an effort to deny the obvious: the President’s top priority is obtaining fast-track authority because he knows it will expand his powers and allow him to cement his legacy through the formation of a new political and economic union.”

Sessions continued:

If, as promoters amazingly suggest, the President had more powers without fast-track, he would veto it. The authority granted in “Trade Promotion Authority” is authority transferred from Congress to the Executive and, ultimately, to international bureaucrats. The entire purpose of fast-track is for Congress to surrender its power to the Executive for six years. Legislative concessions include: control over the content of legislation, the power to fully consider that legislation on the floor, the power to keep debate open until Senate cloture is invoked, and the constitutional requirement that treaties receive a two-thirds vote. Legislation cannot even be amended.

When Republicans find themselves on the side of Obama on an issue that gives him MORE executive authority, that should be cause for major concern. And when they find that even super liberal senators and liberal union leaders are railing against Obama, they should defiantly think twice.

This whole secret deal is a giant mess.