

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.


Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.

The battle over fast-track trade authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership is coming down the home stretch. It's not clear as of this writing when the House vote will be, but the expectation is that House Republican leaders will call a vote as soon as they believe they have at least the 218 votes needed to pass the measure.
It seems as if vote tallies are being updated hourly. A whip list published by The Hill had as of Tuesday afternoon 129 supporting fast track and 159 against. Nineteen Democrats have joined 110 Republicans in support for the bill, while 30 Republicans have joined 129 Democrats against it. There are 145 minds to sway, with 41 Democrats and 106 Republicans publicly undecided on the bill.
Trade promotion authority would give the president the sole negotiating power for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and would only allow Congress an up-or-down vote on a trade deal that could affect nearly 40 percent of the world's population. This is a trade deal that, with the exception of a few leaks, we know little about.
The issue has created a strange new world for many on both sides of the aisle. Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raul Grijalva and Keith Ellison are joined by Tea Party stalwarts Reps. David Brat of former minority leader Eric Cantor's Virginia district, and Steve King of Iowa. It is truly bizarro world out there. Due to the Republican defections, the majority must corral enough Democratic votes to get the bill across the finish line.
That's where you come in. According to the Hill article on the state of play of the TPP, there could be as many as 25 Democrats lined up to support the bill, which means fast-track opponents are going to be playing defense on keeping the "no" votes in that column and the undecideds from becoming "yes" votes.
The Campaign for America's Future has a tool to get in touch with your representative to let them know your opinion on fast track and the TPP. At this website you simply enter your area code and you will be connected to your representative's office. From there, you can tell your representative to vote NO on fast track and the TPP.
For evidence that these calls can really have an effect on Congress, look no further than New Orleans' Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) who said that all the calls he has received have been to vote against TPP, the only call asking him to support it was from President Obama. Because of the calls from his constituents, he is currently "leaning heavily no."
Call your representative, tell them to vote NO on Fast Track.
We have placed the 19 Democrats who have registered their support fast track into the "Trans-Pacific Partnership Hall of Shame" for supporting legislation that would cost American jobs; put Americans' health, safety and environment at risk; and would expand corporate power at the expense of the public interest.
They are:
Rep. Brad Ashford (Neb.)
Rep. Ami Bera (Calif.)
Rep. Don Beyer (Va.)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.)
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (Ore.)
Rep. Gerald Connolly (Va.)
Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas)
Rep. John Delaney (Md.)
Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.)
Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.)
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas)
Rep. Derek Kilmer (Wash.)
Rep. Ron Kind (Wis.)
Rep. Rick Larsen (Wash.)
Rep. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.)
Rep. Jared Polis (Colo.)
Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.)
Rep. Kathleen Rice (N.Y.)
Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.)
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 |

The battle over fast-track trade authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership is coming down the home stretch. It's not clear as of this writing when the House vote will be, but the expectation is that House Republican leaders will call a vote as soon as they believe they have at least the 218 votes needed to pass the measure.
It seems as if vote tallies are being updated hourly. A whip list published by The Hill had as of Tuesday afternoon 129 supporting fast track and 159 against. Nineteen Democrats have joined 110 Republicans in support for the bill, while 30 Republicans have joined 129 Democrats against it. There are 145 minds to sway, with 41 Democrats and 106 Republicans publicly undecided on the bill.
Trade promotion authority would give the president the sole negotiating power for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and would only allow Congress an up-or-down vote on a trade deal that could affect nearly 40 percent of the world's population. This is a trade deal that, with the exception of a few leaks, we know little about.
The issue has created a strange new world for many on both sides of the aisle. Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raul Grijalva and Keith Ellison are joined by Tea Party stalwarts Reps. David Brat of former minority leader Eric Cantor's Virginia district, and Steve King of Iowa. It is truly bizarro world out there. Due to the Republican defections, the majority must corral enough Democratic votes to get the bill across the finish line.
That's where you come in. According to the Hill article on the state of play of the TPP, there could be as many as 25 Democrats lined up to support the bill, which means fast-track opponents are going to be playing defense on keeping the "no" votes in that column and the undecideds from becoming "yes" votes.
The Campaign for America's Future has a tool to get in touch with your representative to let them know your opinion on fast track and the TPP. At this website you simply enter your area code and you will be connected to your representative's office. From there, you can tell your representative to vote NO on fast track and the TPP.
For evidence that these calls can really have an effect on Congress, look no further than New Orleans' Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) who said that all the calls he has received have been to vote against TPP, the only call asking him to support it was from President Obama. Because of the calls from his constituents, he is currently "leaning heavily no."
Call your representative, tell them to vote NO on Fast Track.
We have placed the 19 Democrats who have registered their support fast track into the "Trans-Pacific Partnership Hall of Shame" for supporting legislation that would cost American jobs; put Americans' health, safety and environment at risk; and would expand corporate power at the expense of the public interest.
They are:
Rep. Brad Ashford (Neb.)
Rep. Ami Bera (Calif.)
Rep. Don Beyer (Va.)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.)
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (Ore.)
Rep. Gerald Connolly (Va.)
Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas)
Rep. John Delaney (Md.)
Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.)
Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.)
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas)
Rep. Derek Kilmer (Wash.)
Rep. Ron Kind (Wis.)
Rep. Rick Larsen (Wash.)
Rep. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.)
Rep. Jared Polis (Colo.)
Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.)
Rep. Kathleen Rice (N.Y.)
Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.)

The battle over fast-track trade authority for the Trans-Pacific Partnership is coming down the home stretch. It's not clear as of this writing when the House vote will be, but the expectation is that House Republican leaders will call a vote as soon as they believe they have at least the 218 votes needed to pass the measure.
It seems as if vote tallies are being updated hourly. A whip list published by The Hill had as of Tuesday afternoon 129 supporting fast track and 159 against. Nineteen Democrats have joined 110 Republicans in support for the bill, while 30 Republicans have joined 129 Democrats against it. There are 145 minds to sway, with 41 Democrats and 106 Republicans publicly undecided on the bill.
Trade promotion authority would give the president the sole negotiating power for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and would only allow Congress an up-or-down vote on a trade deal that could affect nearly 40 percent of the world's population. This is a trade deal that, with the exception of a few leaks, we know little about.
The issue has created a strange new world for many on both sides of the aisle. Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Reps. Raul Grijalva and Keith Ellison are joined by Tea Party stalwarts Reps. David Brat of former minority leader Eric Cantor's Virginia district, and Steve King of Iowa. It is truly bizarro world out there. Due to the Republican defections, the majority must corral enough Democratic votes to get the bill across the finish line.
That's where you come in. According to the Hill article on the state of play of the TPP, there could be as many as 25 Democrats lined up to support the bill, which means fast-track opponents are going to be playing defense on keeping the "no" votes in that column and the undecideds from becoming "yes" votes.
The Campaign for America's Future has a tool to get in touch with your representative to let them know your opinion on fast track and the TPP. At this website you simply enter your area code and you will be connected to your representative's office. From there, you can tell your representative to vote NO on fast track and the TPP.
For evidence that these calls can really have an effect on Congress, look no further than New Orleans' Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.) who said that all the calls he has received have been to vote against TPP, the only call asking him to support it was from President Obama. Because of the calls from his constituents, he is currently "leaning heavily no."
Call your representative, tell them to vote NO on Fast Track.
We have placed the 19 Democrats who have registered their support fast track into the "Trans-Pacific Partnership Hall of Shame" for supporting legislation that would cost American jobs; put Americans' health, safety and environment at risk; and would expand corporate power at the expense of the public interest.
They are:
Rep. Brad Ashford (Neb.)
Rep. Ami Bera (Calif.)
Rep. Don Beyer (Va.)
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (Ore.)
Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (Ore.)
Rep. Gerald Connolly (Va.)
Rep. Henry Cuellar (Texas)
Rep. John Delaney (Md.)
Rep. Suzan DelBene (Wash.)
Rep. Jim Himes (Conn.)
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (Texas)
Rep. Derek Kilmer (Wash.)
Rep. Ron Kind (Wis.)
Rep. Rick Larsen (Wash.)
Rep. Gregory Meeks (N.Y.)
Rep. Jared Polis (Colo.)
Rep. Mike Quigley (Ill.)
Rep. Kathleen Rice (N.Y.)
Rep. Kurt Schrader (Ore.)