Majority Oppose Obamatrade

A majority of Americans think trade restrictions are necessary to protect American jobs and oppose giving President Barack Obama fast-track authority to negotiate trade deals that Congress can approve or reject but not amend.

 

Establishment Republicans and Democrats are feverishly working to get Obama’s Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) through Congress, which would enable deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to be fast-tracked.

 

When a CBS/New York Times poll asked whether respondents favored or opposed “giving the president authority to negotiate international trade deals that Congress can only approve or disapprove but not change,” 55% opposed while 42% favored. When asked if the TPP “would increase the number of jobs available in the United States, decrease the number of jobs available, or won’t make much of a difference,” 22% thought jobs would decrease compared to 16% that thought they would increase. Another 29% felt the deal would make no difference while another 33% said they did not know enough about it to answer.

 

Given that nearly every lawmaker has not even read the TPP deal, which is locked in a secret room in the Capitol, it should not be surprising that just 22% of Americans said they have either heard or read “a lot” or “some” about the agreement while 78% said they have either heard or read “not much” or “nothing at all.” Those who have heard or read about the deal were more likely to think that it would decrease jobs in the United States.

 

Read More: CBS/NYT Poll: Majority Oppose Obamatrade – Breitbart

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