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1. And again, some politicians are making these international trade negotiations sound so very simple. (thread)
2. Let’s ignore the fact this sounds awfully like some pretty poor international strategy.
(As far as I know it could actually reduce leverage, and I can’t name a time the US has done this, or negotiated with anyone so big they needed to do this...)
(As far as I know it could actually reduce leverage, and I can’t name a time the US has done this, or negotiated with anyone so big they needed to do this...)
3. OK, so I pointed out that one way that a bill can be given floor time is through unanimous consent. Shall we look at an example?
4. A unanimous consent motion to judge the sense of the Senate on a trade deal with the UK was objected to, despite the Senator bringing it forward doing everything he could to ensure it would not be seen as support for Brexit.
5. The objection went like this:
“The prospect of reshaping the American economy with sweeping trade deals is not something that ought to just rocket past the committee of jurisdiction.”
“The prospect of reshaping the American economy with sweeping trade deals is not something that ought to just rocket past the committee of jurisdiction.”
6. “I simply do not believe it is the role of the United States to give aid and comfort to the UK's nationalist right while it inflicts irreparable harm on the UK's own economy and citizens.”
7. “The Senate simply cannot make promises about trade talks months or years down the line when the May government doesn't even know what is coming down the pike in a matter of days.”
8. "there are serious issues that need consideration with respect to our trade relationship with the UK and Europe. That cannot happen if the debates play out in a slapdash process here on the floor of this Senate.”
9. “European governments are in the process of implementing a new copyright regime that provides an easy way to chill free speech online with bogus copyright claims.”
10. “What they are attempting to do is loot American technology companies with discriminatory taxes--slapping what is essentially an extra tariff on American firms.”
11. “The UK would need to commit to abandoning these unfair policies, which, in my view, are serious barriers to trade, as a precondition of negotiations in the future.”
12. “Otherwise, if the Senate were to, in effect, to be making promises on trade in the dark, we would risk surrendering our negotiating positions on these key issues which I have outlined without getting anything in return.”
13. “I just, for the life of me, can't see the case for undermining our American businesses and American jobs for the benefit of the UK's nationalist right as they steer their own economy and international stature off a cliff.”
14. The fact remains that even without the Good Friday Agreement, there are enough political and technical issues to delay the deal, and Brexit is ultimately bad for the US.
15. And they do not expect big gains from a trade deal with the UK.
16. As for the Good Friday Agreement, if it is undermined, US politicians are only too aware of the root cause.
17. Which was politicians making these international trade negotiations sound so very simple...
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