Boehner on Ryan’s TPA Comments: Without TPA, We’ll Never Know What’s There

‘There is no trade bill; there is a trade negotiation going on’

Boehner on Paul Ryan's Trade Bill Comments: "Without Trade Promotion Authority, We're Never Going To Know What's There" (RealClearPolitics)

A reporter points out the similarity between top Republicans like Paul Ryan's statements that only once trade promotion authority is granted to the president will the details of treaties like the Trans-Pacific Partnership be made public, compared with Nancy Pelosi's infamous "you have to pass it to find out what is in it" pitch for Obamacare.

BOEHNER: There is no trade bill...There is a trade negotiation going on. Like any other negotiation that goes on, you don't want to air out what everybody's positions are.

That's not what we're voting on.

By passing trade promotion authority, we will actually give Congress more openness, more involvement in what the trade agreement may look like if we ever get one. And goal posts along the way. And so if in fact there's going to be a trade agreement with the Asians or trade agreement with the Europeans, trade promotion authority allows us here in the Congress to outline what those goal posts should be, what the objectives should be and gives us a part in helping advise the administration in the development of our position and in those discussions. Without trade promotion authority, we're never going to know what's there.

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