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Presidential & State News
Dem. Minority Leader Harry Reid
President Visits Nike Friday, Will Explain How Free Trade Agreement Helps Businesses
President Obama returns from a return at Camp David on Tuesday dressed in Nike gear. He visited Nike on Thursday.
A top White House official said Wednesday that President Barack Obama's visit to Nike headquarters highlighted "how businesses large and small" can benefit from expanded trade.
Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, dis- missed charges by Nike critics that the firm shows how free- trade agreements have helped shift manufacturing jobs over- seas.
Earnest told Oregon re- porters that President Obama will explain Friday why he wanted to visit Nike headquar- ters near Beaverton and put a spotlight on the giant apparel manufacturer.
"I think what Nike would tell you is... that opening up addi- tional opportunities for Nike to sell their goods in that region of the world would create opportu- nities for Nike and their workers back home," said Earnest.
The White House hopes the president's visit to the iconic ap- parel company – whose swoosh logo is one of the country's most recognizable brands -- will help build support for legislation that would smooth the way for a massive Pacific Rim trade deal involving 12 nations.
The "fast track" trade deal faces opposition from most Democratic lawmakers as well as numerous Republicans wary of giving President Obama more authority on trade.
Senate Democratic
Is Against President Obama’s Trade Agreement
Leader Responds To
President Barack Obama hosted a group of Sen- ate Democrats at the White House on Wednesday, hoping to shore up support for his free- trade efforts before a critical vote next week.
The lawmakers in atten- dance included Democrats who are undecided on or support a bill to empower the President to expedite free-trade deals, Dem- ocratic aides said. The White House declined comment.
The meeting came just days before Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) is expected to bring Trade Promo- tion Authority legislation to the Senate floor. Its immediate fate is uncertain after Senate Minor- ity Leader Harry Reid (D- Nev.) said he would move to block the bill until Republicans take up two other pressing mat- ters addressing government surveillance and highway fund- ing.
That conflict between Dem- ocratic leaders and the White House has put Senate Republi- cans in the unusual position of pleading with President Obama to lobby Democrats to support opening debate on the trade bill. Reid’s procedural maneuver jarred Republicans who just a week ago seemed to have sufficient support to move ahead on TPA.
“Boy, they are going to need to have it on overdrive if we’re going to get this done,” Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, the No. 3 Senate Republican, said of administration officials. “The way Reid’s playing this thing right now, it’s not helping, for sure. The President’s going to really need to lean into this.”
Added Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn (R- Texas): “We’ll see whether [Reid] can convince his own people to reverse themselves in terms of this priority for the President.”
Reid has insisted he won’t block the bills permanently — he probably couldn’t even if he
Governor Rick Scott’s
False Claims
Democratic Minority Leader Harry Reid
wanted to, because seven De- mocrats already are on record in favor of the fast-track legisla- tion. But there is worry among pro-trade Democrats that a failed procedural vote would give liberals and labor groups more time to mobilize and at- tack them as turncoats.
Indeed, in the view of some Republicans, the longer the trade bill waits, the more likely it is that Democratic support will wobble — especially with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D- Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) railing against it. A failed vote next week, said Senate Fi- nance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), could be “cata- strophic for this country.”
“This is one where [Pres. Obama] really tried to do his best, and I’m hoping he does his best, because it’s going to take that,” Hatch said in an in- terview. “I hope they don’t” have the votes to block the bill, he added.
Just two Senate Democrats who voted for the trade bill in committee have reiterated that they will vote against Reid next week: Sens. Bill Nelson of Florida and Tom Carper of Delaware. Carper said he’s spoken extensively to Presi- dent Obama and Vice Pres- ident Joe Biden on the matter and seemed bullish that ultimately enough Democrats will join hands next week to begin work on the bill.
“I’m not counting votes. We should take nothing for granted — work very hard. I think the arguments are on our side. The president and the vice presi- dent are correct — and they’ll work very hard to win,” Carper said in an interview.
TALLAHASSEE – Fed up with Republican Governor Rick Scott’s never-ending at- tacks on the federal govern- ment to excuse his own failings, Senate Democratic Leader Arthenia Joyner (D- Tampa) called on him to stop revising history, and do his job:
“The low income families in our state haven’t been wait- ing on the federal government, Governor Scott, they’ve been waiting on you,” said Leader Joyner in response to Scott’s remarks following his meeting with the HHS Sec- retary earlier today.
“It was your administra- tion that signed off on the agreement to end LIP in its current form next month. It was your administration that sat on its hands instead of crafting an alternative solu- tion that the feds notified you would be needed. And it was you who fought against Oba- macare before you supported it before you opposed it again, precipitating the House’s un- constitutional departure and the session to crash and burn.
“There is a good and reson-
ARTHENIA JOYNER Senate Democratic Leader
able Senate healthcare plan is still on the table, incorporat- ing the principles you claim as a ‘conservative’ that you’ve done everything to thwart and not one thing to support. It saves Florida taxpayers and businesses money. It covers the uninsured. And it’s self- sustaining.
“So don’t claim feigned outrage at the federal govern- ment’s decision to abide by the agreement struck one year ago. And don’t claim you now have the welfare of the low in- come families in this state as the reason for your finger-jab- bing at Washington. Because one million uninsured Florid- ians you callously blocked from healthcare expansion are testament to the contrary.”
FRIDAY, MAY 8, 2015 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 7-A