JANUARY 14, 2015
Conservatives oppose fast track trade authority for Obama
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Americans for Limited Government President Richard Manning was joined by conservative leaders at a Capitol Hill press conference on Tuesday urging Congress to reject granting President Obama trade promotion authority, or fast track, for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Treaty.
Leading a group that included representatives from all three legs of the traditional Republican Party electoral stool: faith, national defense and limited government, Manning called on Congress to "not cede any additional authority to a President who has spent the past six years shredding the constitutional separation of powers."
Sandy Rios, director of government affairs for the American Family Association, emphasized the traditional roll the United States has played in using its economic might to expand freedom around the world saying, "Wisdom dictates that America must use all means at its disposal to resist religious persecution anywhere it is found through the power of our God-given treasure and resources. It is for this reason that American Family Association opposes passage of fast track legislation that negates their ability to change the Trans-Pacific Partnership to end religious oppression in Vietnam, Brunei and Malaysia."
TheTeaParty.net leader Niger Innis called ceding additional legislative powers to the Executive Branch "a monumental failure of Congressional Republicans to understand the nature of the President's fundamental transformation of America."
Other leaders participating in the news conference were Frank Gaffney, president and founder of the Center for Security Policy, and Glyn Wright, Executive Director of the Eagle Forum who read remarks from conservative icon Phyllis Schlafly.
Recently, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell commenting on the legislation admitted, "It's an enormous grant of power, obviously, from a Republican Congress to a Democratic president."
Manning agreed, calling the legislation "an ill-founded grant of trust to a President who has repeatedly shown that he has outright disdain for the legislative branch, rather than providing a speedy up or down vote, the Senate should examine every aspect of any treaty that is presented to ensure that American interests are advanced."
It was also announced that a group letter was being delivered to Congress urging opposition to passage of fast track trade authority, and Manning promised a robust effort to educate members of Congress and their constituents about the dangers associated with giving President Obama this grant of power. Others signing the group letter were Jenny Beth Martin, founder of Tea Party Patriots and Curtis Ellis of ObamaTrade.com.
Visit http://getliberty.org.
