That's all she wrote: Pelosi to support TAA

[Proud Public Servant]

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her caucus are lining up behind a worker aid proposal expected to hit the floor of the lower chamber Thursday, suggesting a central piece of President Obama's trade agenda will reach his desk this week.

Earlier in the month, Pelosi and other liberal House Democrats blocked legislation extending the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program as a tactical move to sink the bill granting President Obama trade promotion authority (TPA), known as fast-track, to which it was tied.

But with the Senate set to send a stand-alone fast-track bill to the White House on Wednesday, House Democrats say they no longer have any reason to block the TAA, which they've long championed as a protection for workers harmed by trade deals.

"I’m disappointed that the TAA bill isn’t nearly as robust as it should be in light of a trade agreement that encompasses 40 percent of the global economy," Pelosi wrote Wednesday morning in a Dear Colleague letter.

"While we may not all vote in the same manner on TAA, I will support its passage because it can open the door to a full debate on TPP [Trans-Pacific Partnership]."

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/245967-pelosi-house-dems-lining-up-behind-workers-aid-bill

TAA is a good bill, by itself (though it could be more robust); but it was the last thing needed to fast-track TPP. They're breaking out the champagne and cigars on K Street...

[99th_Monkey]

1. Hey Hillary! Is Obama STILL supposed to "listen to Nancy Pelosi"?

Oh wait. Obama's already for this TPP reaming of US workers. never mind.

[Autumn]

10. Yeah Nancy was for it. A kabuki show for the unwashed masses.

[hifiguy]

43. Abso-fuckin-lutely.

The People have just been royally screwn again.

And this will turn into some vague promise to put lipstick on an as yet nonexistent pig at some unspecified future date.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

54. Sooo sick of this crap. Guess it's up to Bernie to lead the way and champion the progressive cause.

[Art_from_Ark]

65. Kabuki Productions presents: The Great Trade Deal

Translation: "Great Leader (on the right) is opposed by Warren, Sanders, and Brown (on the left), as the Republicans in the background cheer on Great Leader"

[djean111]

2. Right now my only feeling is - fuck everyone who voted yes on any of this crap.

And that is how I feel about any of them needing my, or my family's, or my friends' votes. Not happening.

[markpkessinger]

53. I'm right there with you n/t

[frylock]

56. Susan Davis will not receive my vote in 2016

[senseandsensibility]

3. This whole process has been a charade

with everyone playing their part.

[nc4bo]

4. Sorry I didn't lay down a $$ bet on the bs theater.

No one is surprised, are they?

We have all read this dark comedy before, several times.

[lonestarnot]

5. And this is democracy?

[Agnosticsherbet]

31. We are a representative democracy, we elected these representatives.

So, yes, this is a domocracy.

[hifiguy]

44. Well, people voted for them,

but the people are assuredly not their owners. And we know who are.

[geek tragedy]

6. Stand alone Fast Track has already been approved by both houses of Congress.

[Proud Public Servant]

7. Yes, but Obama said

He would not sign the fast track bill unless TAA was also on his desk -- and now it will be.

[geek tragedy]

9. That was a very weak bluff on his part.

He wanted TAA and he wanted TPA. If I want ice cream and I want cake, I'm not going to refuse to eat ice cream if I don't get cake.

[DCBob]

18. It worked.

[geek tragedy]

20. Not really. He and the Republicans called the House Democrats' bluff on TAA.

They passed TPA without the TAA, so the House Dems could decide to get TPA with TAA or get the TPA without the TAA.

[DCBob]

21. So it worked.

[joshcryer]

55. Exactly as designed...

Said this weeks ago.

[Romulox]

8. 100% staged Kabuki theater. Pelosi "allows" enough non-vulnerable caucus members to support TPA

while pretending to oppose it herself and "allowing" more vulnerable members to oppose it (once a tally shows it will pass without their support.)

[HFRN]

77. that is how it *always* goes - the whip excuses the vulnerable, once passage is assured

protecting congress from accountability

[Recursion]

11. Does it still have a Medicare cut-out?

They should be able to wring a clean TAA out of Ryan...

[Proud Public Servant]

14. Nope, they took that out (nt)

[Recursion]

16. Makes me wonder if that was a big Ryan "FU" to Pelosi and Obama

Or if Ryan honestly thought he had the votes a week ago.

[DCBob]

25. Glad to hear that.

[Agony]

12. hero to traitor in the blink of an eye

imagine that

job training paid for with ??? for people who then won't have any jobs that they re-trained for.

[octoberlib]

13. Is TAA the one that's being paid for with cuts to Medicare?

[Proud Public Servant]

15. Not any more

They struck that provision, though it's not clear to me how they're paying for it now.

[hifiguy]

45. If it ever is funded it will be a miracle.

Does anyone think a Repuke congress will spend a penny to help working people?

[Nite Owl]

52. Only if they take some blood

like privatizing Social Security.

[hobbit709]

17. All we have now is a "D" wing and an "R" wing of the Corporate Party.

when it comes to giving the corporations what they want, they're practically identical.

[TwilightGardener]

19. If the TPP is going to be so fucking awesome for us, why the need for TAA?

[truebrit71]

32. That is the $64,000 question...

...

[Buns_of_Fire]

22. Heck, I can retrain people for a lot less than $500-$700 Million...

Lesson 1. Watch this video:

Lesson 2. Repeat after me: "Do you want fries with that?"

Lesson 3. Repeat after me: "Is that for here or to go?"

Lesson 4: Don't oversalt the fries, and always use the scoop to put fries in the sleeves.

Lesson 5: Since ordering stations vary, ask your manager/supervisor/trainer for specific instructions.

For those entering the exciting world of retail, watch this video:

Substitute the name of your new employer for "Costco" where appropriate.

There. You are now retrained.

And I've just saved the government at least $500 million. Where do I write to claim my 10%?

[jeff47]

23. No, the TAA is not a good bill.

Because TAA has utterly failed after every previous "free trade" bill, and there's no reason to suspect this one will work.

First, you have to get your former employer to admit they sent your job overseas. Very few employers will do this. First, you don't work there anymore, so fuck you. Second, they "outsourced their manufacturing". Your job could have been lost to a US company, they just happened to pick a company that just happened to be located in another country.

Second, "retraining" won't do jack shit for getting a high paying job. You need a minimum of a 4-year-degree or an apprentice-like program for a trade, and TAA doesn't do either.

Third, if we ignore #2 and pretend that retraining was enough, companies are not going to hire older, retrained workers. Why hire a 40-something that will cost your health plan more when you can abuse the hell out of a 20-something?

Finally, people who accepted TAA after previous trade deals have a lower income than those who did not. Kinda demonstrates the program doesn't actually do what is claimed.

TAA is political theater so that Democrats can pretend that they don't want to fuck us over.

[Buns_of_Fire]

24. Like treating melanoma with a band-aid.

The only people who'll really benefit will be the owners of the trade schools that'll pop up everywhere to get a cut of those juicy federal dollars.

[HFRN]

78. i have yet to meet anyone who's ever benefitted from 'adjustments'

while almost everyone I know has been slammed by these anti-worker/anti-middle class programs

the sole purpose of the 'adjustments' is to make the toxic bill pass

[DCBob]

33. What is TAA?

Workers who are determined to have lost their jobs because of production shifts overseas or import competition can receive benefits such as relocation assistance, subsidized health care insurance, and extended unemployment benefits. Typically, workers must be enrolled in job training programs to receive the unemployment benefits.

Alternately, some workers 50 years and older can receive wage insurance, where the government will cover 50% of the difference in a worker’s reduced wages, topping out at $12,000 over two years, if they’re reemployed in lower paying jobs. The program also included tax credits that provide health care to displaced workers, but that component expired at the end of 2013.

http://blogs.wsj.com/briefly/2015/06/15/5-questions-on-trade-adjustment-assistance/

Sounds reasonable to me.

[jeff47]

34. That's because it's the WSJ's job to make it sound reasonable.

Workers who are determined to have lost their jobs because of production shifts overseas or import competition

Tell me how you prove that. Keep in mind the companies that actually offshore the jobs have a bidding process that includes US companies.

Also, you have 8 weeks to do it, from the day you are laid off.

[DCBob]

35. Well, I am sure there will be procedures in place to deal with that.

I suspect it wont be easy but clearly there will be money and assistance available for those that are legit and can navigate the process.

[jeff47]

37. I already explained those procedures.

You have to get your former employer to admit they "shipped your job to Mexico". In writing.

I suspect it wont be easy but clearly there will be money and assistance available for those that are legit and can navigate the process.

Except that isn't actually the case. The laid-off are on their own to get a letter from their former employer before TAA does jack shit for them.

[DCBob]

38. Maybe not easy but there will be procedures in place.

All big government programs tend to be that way. It usually works out if you have the patience and knowledge on how to do it.

[jeff47]

39. And again, those procedures are designed to make it nearly impossible.

And as I said above, the people who actually took TAA are making less money than the people who did not. Thus, it did not "work out" for the people who actually did know "how to do it".

[DCBob]

42. I dont believe that.

What would be the point of the program at all?

[hifiguy]

47. A pathetic attempt at ass-covering is the only point.

That program will never ever be funded by Repukes.

[jeff47]

49. It's political cover

"Sure we voted for a treaty that shipped your job overseas. But we also voted to help you get a better job! So keep voting for me!"

The fact that it doesn't actually work doesn't matter. It's a 100% political maneuver. Same reason that the parts for an F-35 are built in factories sprinkled all over the US.

[DCBob]

50. I believe it's more than that.

I am glad its there. Anyone's job could be at risk... including mine.

[brentspeak]

83. One thing I'm sure about

is that you have no idea what the hell you're talking about.

[DCBob]

85. Sorry if simple truths are beyond your understanding.

Get lost.

[hifiguy]

46. The only jobs available will be flipping burgers

and stocking Wal-Mart with cheap Chinese crap. Shouldn't need much training for that.

What a fucking fraud this whole dog-and-pony show has been.

It was a done deal from the start.

[Dont call me Shirley]

26. Thanks for cutting my Medicare, all you fuckers.

[djean111]

28. evidently, they took the Medicare cut out. But it looks to me like Obama would have signed it with

Medicare cuts still in the bill.

[Dont call me Shirley]

36. Thank you for letting me know, djean111. I can rest easier, for now.

[fredamae]

27. New Democratic Network?

http://www.ndn.org/

Anyone heard of this outfit?

[Cleita]

41. OMG! Is this a satirical site, or a new incarnation of the Democratic Leadership Council?

[djean111]

51. Reminds me of the New Democrat Coalition.

If this is what the New Democrats are, then I may not be a Democrat much longer. The party has left me.

[moondust]

29. Weekend Bribefest a big success?

[MADem]

30. What was the trade-off?

I'm asking rhetorically....the article doesn't make that clear at all.

I seem to recall she was saying something about a massive highway/infrastructure bill in exchange for consideration...was she given any pro quo for her quid?

[jeff47]

40. IMO, the trade-off is it won't pass.

Thus Democrats can say "We tried really hard! Honest!".

TAA was the trade-off for TPA.

[joshcryer]

57. Absurd.

The agreements were made before they decided to split the vote. The rest was theater.

[jeff47]

62. Agreements like "let's cut Medicare to pay for TAA"? (nt)

[MADem]

58. I thought Pelosi was asking for major infrastructure to even get past the TAA stage.

There is some QPQ going on. She wouldn't have given it over otherwise.

[joshcryer]

59. Not major, just another $175 million.

And to shoot down Ryan's stupid shit.

If anything Pelosi's low balling, she could've went big, but as far as I can tell she's not getting anything huge out of this.

[jeff47]

63. Well, Pelosi said TPA was horrible while whipping votes to pass TPA.

Not sure you can really trust any stated or rumored position.

Also, why would she be asking for infrastructure spending to pass TAA? She wants TAA. She claimed she didn't want TPA.

[MADem]

64. I didn't know that Obama was the only president in the modern era to NOT have TAA authority.

The authority that other Presidents enjoyed expired in 2007, and he is the only modern POTUS to not have that tool in the toolbox.

I just don't know what's real and what isn't anymore.

I would like to read the TPP documents. I want to see, for myself, with no spin, what people are praising and/or decrying.

[jeff47]

66. TAA is not TPA.

There is no "TAA authority". TAA is a retraining program. TPA is fast track.

[MADem]

67. I'm sorry, I misspoke-Obama has been the first POTUS in modern times to not have TPA in the toolbox.

Every modern POTUS before him HAS had it. He was denied it for his entire term, until now.

[jeff47]

68. Yeah, that's why Clinton negotiated TPA after NAFTA was pubilc

And before it was voted on. Because he already had TPA and...needed to get it again...or something.

[MADem]

70. Again, Obama is the only POTUS in modern times to not have it for the vast majority of his term.

Congress started the fast track authority in the Trade Act of 1974, § 151–154 (19 U.S.C. § 2191–2194). This authority was set to expire in 1980, but was extended for eight years in 1979.[1] By that grant of authority and procedure, Congress then enacted implementing legislation for the U.S.-Israel Free Trade Area, the U.S.-Canada Free Trade Agreement. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_track_(trade)

Clinton was graduating law school when this got fired up. It was institutionalized long before he got to the WH.

[jeff47]

71. Again, Clinton had to go get it. He did not have it.

Clinton was graduating law school when this got fired up. It was institutionalized long before he got to the WH.

TPA has always been time limited. That's why Bill Clinton had to go get it before sending NAFTA to Congress.

If it wasn't time limited, Obama would still have it.

[MADem]

74. It expired in 2007, and carried over to the deals already in the pipeline.

Bush wasn't going to even try to help out a successor.

And Obama couldn't catch a break.

[jeff47]

80. So it is a terrible insult to Obama that it is time limited and every previous president

had to ask for it.

Uh-huh.

[MADem]

81. It's an insult that Congress denied it to him for the bulk of his Presidency. nt

[brentspeak]

84. Yes, that would such an injustice

if Obama wasn't given his own opportunity to dismantle the nation's middle class on behalf of his own Wall St. benefactors.

[TBF]

72. We got ACA and gay marriage -

I think that's pretty clear. I would've held out for single payer on health care, but as I've said in other threads I'm not Nancy Pelosi. With her wealth she has a much different view of the world than you & I.

[MADem]

73. That's the judicial branch--nothing to do with the legislature.

I heard her asking for robust infrastructure repair, I was curious if she got that.

[TBF]

75. Theoretically you are correct -

but have you ever spent time inside the beltway? When I worked in Washington more deals were done after hours than during business hours. Maybe it has changed in the last 20 years but I kind of doubt it.

Will she get robust infrastructure repair? Perhaps ultimately that will come. I would argue it will have to - you can't send massive amounts of jobs overseas and expect people not to notice. You've got to find something for them to do or they'll be idle in the streets (and that's where serious organizing starts).

[MADem]

79. Have I ever spent time inside the beltway? I know my way around the Hill better than most.

My forte used to be crafting Congressional testimony. When I wasn't stuck sitting with the briefcase, I'd go home and get in the barcolounger and watch the festivities on TV. I had to liaise on a routine basis with a number of senior Congressional staffers, some of whom are still on the job. I had met probably half of the House and Senate while in that and previous jobs, where I'd wine and dine the hordes on Middle Eastern and European CODELs.

I probably have more DC time than a lot of DUers. I don't miss that shit. I never worked eight to five in all the years I was working--I'd be lucky to get home by ten at night.

She cut a deal, I saw a snip of her on TV talking around the topic--there was a pro quo for her quid. I just don't know what it was. She does, I'm sure. It had to be something good enough to get a fair chunk of the crew to go along with her.

[TBF]

82. I hope you're right -

I will be looking for references as well and will post if I find something.

I honestly don't miss it either. Living in Texas isn't ideal, but DC is a very odd place - so transient and all. I worked in large law firms during the 90s so my experience includes things like watching how the various associations would hire private firms to write legislation and then get it in front of friendly politicians who could make some of what they wanted happen (and other ways of influencing them). It was not pretty. I don't think all of DC is sold out, but some of it really did turn my stomach. It sounds like you were much more involved inside Congress which is cool.

[Cha]

48. "While we may not all vote in the same manner on TAA, I will support its passage because it can open

the door to a full debate on TPP ."

Thank you, Nancy

[lonestarnot]

61. Cha is that likely?

[joshcryer]

60. Doesn't seem like Pelosi got much if anything for it.

[restorefreedom]

69. this is what happens without publicly financed elections

only the wealthiest among us have a shot at getting into national office. and at that point they are no longer partisans. they are the ruling class. they will do what it takes to keep their 7.5 slices of an 8 slice pie to leave the crumbs for the rest of us.

[onecaliberal]

76. This was always going to happen. They do NOT represent us

What's it going to take to get people to understand that?