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U.S. President Donald Trump (C) breaks ground with Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (2nd L), Foxconn CEO Terry Gou (2nd R), U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) (R) and Christopher "Tank" Murdock (L), the first Wisconsin Foxconn employee, at a ceremony for the Foxconn Technology Group computer screen plant on June 28, 2018 in Mt Pleasant, Wisconsin. (Photo: Andy Manis/Getty Images)
Before there was a limerick written in its honor or a viral sensation on Twitter, Axios on Sunday reported on an internal White House draft bill--titled the "United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act" (or the U.S. FART Act for short)--that would grant President Donald Trump enormous powers to dictate trade and tariff policy and essentially blow a hole in the rules that govern the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"The draft legislation is stunning," reported Axios' Jonathan Swan. "The bill essentially provides Trump a license to raise U.S. tariffs at will, without congressional consent and international rules be damned."
Though Swan made no mention of the bill's ridiculous acronym, it didn't take astute journalists like Splinter's Paul Blest and other online observers long to break the story:
While the White House told Swan that the draft bill is nowhere near being rolled out, it was too late. The #FartAct has been born:
#FARTact- No joke 'It stinks': Twitter gets wind of oddly named Trump tariff bill draft https://t.co/8AseKNu58j
-- Geo Steve (@StephenGlahn) July 2, 2018
\u201cThe POTUS would like, for a start,\nMore power to rip trade apart,\nReported the press\nUpon its success\nIn catching a draft of his FART.\u201d— Limericking (@Limericking) 1530494325
\u201ctaking on the @WTO is actually a good thing (in principal)\n\n\u201cfree trade\u201d agreements that have been the norm, negotiated in total secrecy.. aren\u2019t in the public good - NeoLiberalism \u26a0\ufe0f\n\nbut who in the hell thought up the name #FARTact \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f doesn\u2019t White House have advisors?\u201d— \u2651\ufe0f Mark \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffb \ud83c\udfb6\ud83c\udf7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83c\udf0b\ud83c\udfc9 (@\u2651\ufe0f Mark \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffb \ud83c\udfb6\ud83c\udf7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83c\udf0b\ud83c\udfc9) 1530541707
#FARTact- No joke 'It stinks': Twitter gets wind of oddly named Trump tariff bill draft https://t.co/8AseKNu58j
-- Geo Steve (@StephenGlahn) July 2, 2018
\u201cWill the US FART Act impose tariffs on dutch ovens? #FARTAct\u201d— R.J. Maratea (@R.J. Maratea) 1530493071
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Before there was a limerick written in its honor or a viral sensation on Twitter, Axios on Sunday reported on an internal White House draft bill--titled the "United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act" (or the U.S. FART Act for short)--that would grant President Donald Trump enormous powers to dictate trade and tariff policy and essentially blow a hole in the rules that govern the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"The draft legislation is stunning," reported Axios' Jonathan Swan. "The bill essentially provides Trump a license to raise U.S. tariffs at will, without congressional consent and international rules be damned."
Though Swan made no mention of the bill's ridiculous acronym, it didn't take astute journalists like Splinter's Paul Blest and other online observers long to break the story:
While the White House told Swan that the draft bill is nowhere near being rolled out, it was too late. The #FartAct has been born:
#FARTact- No joke 'It stinks': Twitter gets wind of oddly named Trump tariff bill draft https://t.co/8AseKNu58j
-- Geo Steve (@StephenGlahn) July 2, 2018
\u201cThe POTUS would like, for a start,\nMore power to rip trade apart,\nReported the press\nUpon its success\nIn catching a draft of his FART.\u201d— Limericking (@Limericking) 1530494325
\u201ctaking on the @WTO is actually a good thing (in principal)\n\n\u201cfree trade\u201d agreements that have been the norm, negotiated in total secrecy.. aren\u2019t in the public good - NeoLiberalism \u26a0\ufe0f\n\nbut who in the hell thought up the name #FARTact \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f doesn\u2019t White House have advisors?\u201d— \u2651\ufe0f Mark \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffb \ud83c\udfb6\ud83c\udf7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83c\udf0b\ud83c\udfc9 (@\u2651\ufe0f Mark \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffb \ud83c\udfb6\ud83c\udf7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83c\udf0b\ud83c\udfc9) 1530541707
#FARTact- No joke 'It stinks': Twitter gets wind of oddly named Trump tariff bill draft https://t.co/8AseKNu58j
-- Geo Steve (@StephenGlahn) July 2, 2018
\u201cWill the US FART Act impose tariffs on dutch ovens? #FARTAct\u201d— R.J. Maratea (@R.J. Maratea) 1530493071
Before there was a limerick written in its honor or a viral sensation on Twitter, Axios on Sunday reported on an internal White House draft bill--titled the "United States Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act" (or the U.S. FART Act for short)--that would grant President Donald Trump enormous powers to dictate trade and tariff policy and essentially blow a hole in the rules that govern the World Trade Organization (WTO).
"The draft legislation is stunning," reported Axios' Jonathan Swan. "The bill essentially provides Trump a license to raise U.S. tariffs at will, without congressional consent and international rules be damned."
Though Swan made no mention of the bill's ridiculous acronym, it didn't take astute journalists like Splinter's Paul Blest and other online observers long to break the story:
While the White House told Swan that the draft bill is nowhere near being rolled out, it was too late. The #FartAct has been born:
#FARTact- No joke 'It stinks': Twitter gets wind of oddly named Trump tariff bill draft https://t.co/8AseKNu58j
-- Geo Steve (@StephenGlahn) July 2, 2018
\u201cThe POTUS would like, for a start,\nMore power to rip trade apart,\nReported the press\nUpon its success\nIn catching a draft of his FART.\u201d— Limericking (@Limericking) 1530494325
\u201ctaking on the @WTO is actually a good thing (in principal)\n\n\u201cfree trade\u201d agreements that have been the norm, negotiated in total secrecy.. aren\u2019t in the public good - NeoLiberalism \u26a0\ufe0f\n\nbut who in the hell thought up the name #FARTact \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f doesn\u2019t White House have advisors?\u201d— \u2651\ufe0f Mark \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffb \ud83c\udfb6\ud83c\udf7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83c\udf0b\ud83c\udfc9 (@\u2651\ufe0f Mark \ud83d\udc4a\ud83c\udffb \ud83c\udfb6\ud83c\udf7d\ud83d\udc7d\ud83c\udf0b\ud83c\udfc9) 1530541707
#FARTact- No joke 'It stinks': Twitter gets wind of oddly named Trump tariff bill draft https://t.co/8AseKNu58j
-- Geo Steve (@StephenGlahn) July 2, 2018
\u201cWill the US FART Act impose tariffs on dutch ovens? #FARTAct\u201d— R.J. Maratea (@R.J. Maratea) 1530493071