Tom Waring, the Wire
U.S. Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-13th dist.) opposed legislation that would grant any president “Fast Track” Trade Promotion Authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership and other global trade deals for up to six years with minimal congressional review and oversight.
The vote by Boyle and other Democrats was a blow to President Barack Obama.
“The deals currently on the table lack crucial protections for American workers and the environment, which were also missing from past free-trade deals, like NAFTA,” Boyle said. “We should be empowering the American worker rather than providing a free pass to ship American jobs overseas. Let’s learn from our past mistakes and make the American worker our first priority. Moreover, it is foolish to renew TPA without ensuring full benefits for displaced American workers through an expansive and fully funded reauthorization of TAA.”
A large coalition of labor, environmental groups, liberal activists and faith groups pressured Democrats to oppose the bill. Some unions suggested that they’d back primary challenges to any Democrat who voted for the bill.
Part of the bill Democrats rejected would have provided assistance to workers displaced by global trade.
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In other news, Boyle called on Republicans to act immediately to avert the impending expiration of the Export-Import Bank and the Highway and Transit Trust Fund.
“Pennsylvanians are tired of the endless crises of the Republican Congress damaging our economy and costing us good-paying jobs,” he said.
The Export-Import Bank helps American businesses of all sizes sell their goods overseas. It has supported 1.5 million private-sector jobs since 2007. The Bank’s charter is set to expire on June 30.
Boyle recently toured ASI Technologies Inc. in Montgomeryville. It is one of 21 companies, the congressman said, that would be negatively impacted by the expiration of the charter.
The Highway and Transit Trust Fund will expire in the middle of the summer construction season.
“Apparently, Republicans have been too busy serving the special interests to address the urgent deadlines threatening jobs and communities in Pennsylvania,” Boyle said. “Congress should be working to create jobs and grow the wages of hard-working families, not dragging our country through more needless crises. It’s time for us to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank, renew the Highway and Transit Trust Fund, and get to work expanding the opportunities of America’s families.”
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In addition, Boyle is highlighting a new report showing that 6.4 million Americans in the 34 states with Federally Facilitated Marketplaces would lose tax credits to help pay for insurance coverage, if the Supreme Court were to rule against the Obama administration in King v Burwell.
In November 2014, the Supreme Court announced that it would take up the case of King v Burwell. The case involves a challenge to providing federal tax credits to consumers who receive Affordable Care Act insurance coverage through the Federally Facilitated Marketplaces. Oral arguments were heard on March 4. The Supreme Court will issue a ruling before the end of the term this month.
“In promoting the King v Burwell lawsuit, Republicans are attempting to do through the courts what they have been unable to do in Congress — undermine and dismantle the Affordable Care Act,” Boyle said. “Republicans and their allied groups have not given up since they lost in June 2012, when the Supreme Court ruled that the ACA was constitutional. They appear determined to not stop until they can strip millions of Americans of their affordable health coverage.”
Boyle predicted that the Supreme Court will rule that the challengers’ argument lacks merit and that the ACA provisions, taken together, require the conclusion that tax credits are available in all Marketplaces under the ACA.
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Also, Boyle introduced a bill that would prevent the federal pension system from investing in companies that boycott Israel.
“This is an important statement of principle and act of fiscal responsibility,” he said. “It’s time we take a stand and say we will not invest taxpayer dollars, the hard-earned pension dollars of our dedicated federal workforce, in companies that disinvest in our close ally and trusted friend, Israel. This is a simple but important, overdue step toward addressing this issue.”
