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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
#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
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. 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. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —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
#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
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
#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