Tpp will pass during the lame duck

TPP won’t pass- Growing opposition within the Dems

Since the release of the draft Democratic platform for this election cycle, partisan Democrats have lauded it as the most progressive in the history of the party. On trade, however, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and his allies are actively pushing for the platform to include stronger language that makes clear the party’s opposition to the controversial Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement.¶ The current platform language on TPP states that “there are a diversity of views in the party.”¶ Part of this push will include an effort to amend the draft at a final meeting of the platform’s drafting committee scheduled for Friday and Saturday in Orlando, Fla. Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairman Keith Ellison of Minnesota, an early Sanders endorser and a member of the drafting committee, told Morning Consult it will be his top priority to offer amendments to intensify language opposing TPP and the current model of trade policy at that meeting.¶ The push will come in the wake of Ellison’s earlier failed efforts to amend the draft with a flat-out opposition of the TPP. At a June 24 drafting meeting in St. Louis, he argued that since Sanders and likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton are on the record as opposing the trade deal, the platform should reflect that opposition as a stance of the party as a whole.¶ The platform now doesn’t include outright opposition to TPP. “Many Democrats are on record stating that the agreement does not meet the standards set out in this platform; other Democrats have expressed support for the agreement,” the platform draft states. “But all Democrats believe that any trade agreement must protect workers and the environment and not undermine access to critically-needed prescription drugs.”

Won’t pass- Trump has sparked Republican opposition to the deal

Cheney 7/11 (Kyle Cheney: Reporter for POLITICO’s Campaign Pro, covered the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and its political implications – from the Supreme Court decision upholding the law to the rollout of HealthCare.gov and the coverage gains that ensued, former reporter on Massachusetts government and politics for the State House News Service, “GOP platform panel strikes references to TPP,” 7/11/16, http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/republican-platform-panel-tpp-225364, Accessed: 7/13/16, RRR)

CLEVELAND — A panel crafting the Republican Party’s platform on trade has removed all references to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, citing Donald Trump’s rejection of the deal and the difficult politics that Republican incumbents are navigating.¶ “I think we should take out TPP completely,” said Tracey Monroe-Winburn, an Ohio delegate. “We know that our presumptive nominee isn’t in favor of it, one … and we have some senators who are running across the country that were in support of it at one time.”¶ The new language must still be vetted by the GOP’s full Platform Committee Monday afternoon.¶ Andy Puzder, one of the co-chairs of the GOP platform economic subcommittee, suggested that TPP has become too thorny of an issue to take a specific stand on. Trump has found flaws in the current version, he said. Rather than wade into the specific agreement, he suggested embracing a broad trade platform that discourages “massive trade deficits,” negotiating better trade deals and enforcing existing deals.¶ “Who can argue with we shouldn’t have such big deficits?” he wondered.¶ The language Puzder described would dovetail more completely with Trump’s language on trade.

Won’t pass- Both candidates oppose it and are accelerating opposition

Seitz-Wald 7/7 (Alex Seitz-Wald: Politics Reporter for NBC News, “Ahead of Democratic Platform Meeting, Warren Urges Opposition to TPP Trade Deal,” 7/7/16, http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/ahead-democratic-platform-meeting-warren-urges-opposition-tpp-trade-deal-n605151, Accessed: 7/13/16, RRR)

Amid a heated intra-party debate on trade, Sen. Elizabeth Warren is encouraging members of a progressive group to keep up their fight against the Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal.¶ The TPP is a multinational trade agreement pushed by the Obama administration, which progressives and Donald Trump allies feel would harm U.S. workers by driving down labor prices and empowering multi-national corporations.¶ The typically obscure issue of trade policy has thrust to the fore this year thanks to vocal opposition from Trump and Bernie Sanders, who is making an all-out push to get anti-TPP language added to the Democratic platform at a party meeting in Orlando this weekend.¶ Congress needs to approve TPP, and Sanders allies want the platform to oppose any vote on the trade pact in the lame duck session of Congress later this year, but they say say Clinton-aligned members have so far nixed that provision. Clinton is opposed to the TPP as well, but the trade pact is a top goal of President Obama's.

AT: Morcos (Will Pass)

Morcos goes aff- Clinton opposes a vote during the lame duck

Morcos 7/10 (Salam Morcos: Author at Progressive Army, providing progressive news, commentary, and analysis about politics, “Hillary Clinton’s Covert Campaign for the TPP,” 7/10/16, http://progressivearmy.com/2016/07/10/hillary-clintons-covert-campaign-tpp/, Accessed: 7/13/16, RRR)

Hillary Clinton’s delegates voted down amendments proposed by Bernie Sanders supporters to reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership in the two-day Democratic platform meeting in Orlando. The proposed amendments would have put the Democratic Party on record for opposing a vote on the TPP during the lame duck session of Congress (when Congress meets after Election Day on November 8, but before the new Congress’ and President’s terms begin in January.)¶ This appears to be conflicting with the stance of their preferred candidate. Hillary Clinton has stated that she opposes the TPP, and indicated that she doesn’t support a vote on the trade deal during the lame duck session of Congress. Many have questioned her authenticity on that stance, especially because she was an ardent supporter of the deal during her tenure as a Secretary of State. Even TPP lobbyists are confident that Clinton will support the TPP once elected.¶ Despite Clinton’s stance on the trade deal, NBC News reports that the Clinton campaign was whipping members to oppose the language proposed by Sanders loyalists to reject the TPP. This was also corroborated by Zaid Jilani from The Intercept, who reported that the Clinton campaign was actively engaged with platform committee delegates and directing them on votes.¶ ¶ The former Secretary of Labor, Robert Reich, revealed a conversation that he had with a Clinton advisor on his Facebook page. The advisor asserted that Clinton would not oppose President Obama on the TPP. Ironically, the advisor still believes that Clinton would be shielded from any criticism about the TPP because she came out against it.

Gun Control Thumper

Gun control thumps- Recent speeches and Congressional coalitions

Wire 6/14 (Sarah Wire: LA Times Reporter focusing on CA Reps in Congress, covered politics in Washington for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, former statehouse reporter for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and Associated Press bureaus in Idaho and Missouri, “California Democrats push Congress, again, for gun control votes,” 6/14/16, http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-gun-control-democrats-congress-20160614-snap-htmlstory.html, Accessed: 7/14/16, RRR)

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said in a statement Tuesday that Congress should reconsider the military-style assault weapon ban, and she may put forward legislation to do so herself. Congress banned the manufacture, sale and possession of semi-automatic, or so-called assault weapons, in 1994, but allowed the ban to expire in 2004.¶ Feinstein pushed to have the ban reinstated after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.¶ “If Congress had approved the Assault Weapons Ban of 2013, the manufacture of these weapons would have been prohibited, and I believe the Orlando gunman would have been prevented from buying the Sig Sauer MCX,” she said. “While it’s true that an assault-weapons ban would not stop every attack or shooting, it’s clear that a weapon of war that can kill 49 people and wound so many others does not belong on our streets.”¶ President Obama also called for an assault weapons ban in a speech Tuesday.¶ Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Hillsborough) made her case during a passionate speech on the House floor Tuesday morning.¶ “The American people are too familiar with the AR-15, a weapon designed to hunt Americans in their most vulnerable places, the classroom, the movie theater, the nightclub,” she said.

Gun control is Congress’ top priority- Recent incidents increase the rallying cry within Congress

Caygle 7/8 (Heather Caygle: Congress reporter for POLITICO, former congressional reporter for Bloomberg BNA, primarily covering transportation, tax reform, agriculture, appropriations and the Postal Service, “Black caucus demands gun control vote after shootings,” 7/8/16, http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/congress-gun-vote-black-caucus-225292, Accessed: 7/14/16, RRR)

The Congressional Black Caucus is calling for an immediate vote on a gun control bill following a wave of violence this week that left two black civilians and five police officers dead in three separate incidents.¶ “Republicans, what on earth — why are you recoiling and not giving us a debate on gun violence?” CBC Chairman G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) said at a Friday morning press conference in the Capitol. “We need legislative action now.”¶ Story Continued Below¶ The CBC push comes after a string of shootings this week, including the deaths of two men, Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota, who were killed by police on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. Then on Thursday night, five Dallas police officers were gunned down, reportedly by sniper fire, during what was supposed to be a peaceful protest.¶ The CBC members took care to equally condemn all three incidents, calling the police deaths a travesty. At the same time, they said the Black Lives Matter protesters should not be blamed for what happened in Dallas.¶ "People cannot use Black Lives Matter as a scapegoat. Those young kids came together to protest,” said Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.). “You can’t blame them for these incidents happening. And as much as people would like to call them thugs and other things, they do that for their comfort."¶ As for gun control, the House and Senate have struggled to rally around a proposal that could garner enough bipartisan support. The impasse spurred Democrats to seize the House floor for a daylong sit-in in late June. House GOP leaders then promised a vote on an anti-terrorism package with a gun control component before recess, only to indefinitely delay a roll call amid GOP infighting. Democrats had vowed to oppose the measure even before the delay.

Obama PC low now- Dallas shootings backlash

Darcy 7/12 (Oliver Darcy: Politics editor at Business Insider, former deputy managing editor at TheBlaze, degree in political science from University of California, “politics editor at Business Insider. Previously, he was the deputy managing editor at TheBlaze. He graduated with a degree in political science from the University of California,” 7/12/16, http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-guns-glock-book-computer-2016-7, Accessed: 7/14/16, RRR)

President Barack Obama was criticized on Twitter for a statement about guns during a speech in Dallas to honor the victims of last week's attack.¶ After delivering a set of unifying remarks, Obama veered into more controversial waters.¶ "It's easier for a teenager to get his hands on a Glock than it is to get a computer or even a book," the president said.¶ Obama also addressed the shooting deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile last week, saying Americans of all walks of life should be able to understand the pain their families are experiencing.¶ The comments prompted conservatives, and some media observers, to knock the president.

Puerto Rico Thumper

Puerto Rico will require sustained Congressional attention- Initial action insufficient

Bloomberg 7/1 (Bloomberg View Editorial Board: Editing team, business and markets news, data, analysis, and video to the world, featuring stories from Businessweek and Bloomberg News, “Congress's Work With Puerto Rico Isn't Done Yet,” 7/1/16, http://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2016-07-01/congress-s-work-with-puerto-rico-isn-t-done-yet, Accessed: 7/15/16, RRR)

The good news is that Congress has finally passed a bipartisan bill to help Puerto Rico dig out from its $70 billion in debt. The bad news is that the island is still a long way from economic recovery.¶ The federally appointed control board created by the law will enable the restructuring of Puerto Rico’s unsustainable debt and oversee its fiscal plans and economic policies. The law’s provisions are strict: In addition to approving all fiscal plans and budgets, the board can overturn noncompliant laws and accelerate the development of critical infrastructure projects. Puerto Rico must develop approved budgets for at least four consecutive years, with annual revenue in excess of expenses, before the board can be terminated.¶ If Congress wants to put the island’s economy on a more sustainable path, however, it will have to do more to help Puerto Rico help itself.¶ Puerto Rico's Slide¶ It might start by exempting Puerto Rico from the Jones Act, an onerous 1920 law requiring cargo shipped between points in the U.S. to be carried by ships that are built, owned and crewed by U.S. companies. Not only does that make gas, food and other "imports" from the mainland more expensive, but it also reduces Puerto Rico’s potential as a maritime hub.¶ Meanwhile, a provision in the just-passed bill to fast-track newer power plants may lower energy costs, but it has also riled environmentalists. Congress could make amends by supporting the island’s transition to natural gas and renewables, and pushing for the development of a cleaner Caribbean power grid -- something that would also help undermine Venezuela’s noxious petro-diplomacy.¶ One of Puerto Rico’s biggest challenges is tapping and shrinking its informal economy, which may amount for as much as one-quarter of its gross national product. Extending the Earned Income Tax Credit to Puerto Rico would both bring workers into the fold and fight poverty. So would granting Puerto Rico the flexibility to provide earning supplements and job training to welfare recipients willing to take jobs in the formal sector.¶ After the battle royale between the new law’s supporters and those who wrongly called it a “bailout,” Puerto Rico may be the last place to which Congress wants to return. But there is little doubt that its economy requires sustained attention: It has contracted every year but one since 2006. Unemployment is more than twice the national average, and nearly half the population is below the federal poverty line. Faced with dwindling opportunity, Puerto Ricans are moving to the mainland in growing numbers.¶ Puerto Rico needs to learn to better manage its own affairs, of course. But as long as Puerto Rico is a territory, Congress also has a big role to play. Encouraging economic growth, after all, is good for both creditors and debtors.

Zika Thumper

Zika thumps- Obama push was met by partisan fighting in Congress

Fox 7/11 (Maggie Fox: Senior Reporter for NBC News focusing on health and medical news, “Zika Virus Countdown: 'This Funding Is Done. It's Not Coming to Us,'” 7/11/16, http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/zika-virus-outbreak/zika-virus-countdown-funding-done-it-s-not-coming-us-n607091, Accessed: 7/14/16, RRR)

Zika rarely kills and rarely causes serious disease. The big threat is to unborn children. Like many other viruses, Zika can cause serious birth defects.¶ ¶ President Barack Obama asked for $1.9 billion at the beginning of February to develop vaccines, to study the effects of the virus and to help get the country ready by eradicating mosquitoes as much as possible and educating people about how to protect themselves.¶ Republicans in Congress repeatedly stalled bills that would have supplied at least some of the funding, forcing the administration to cobble together $500 million from other programs to get started. Then last month, Republicans offered a $1.1 billion plan as part of another bill, but Democrats said it was full of "poison pills" that attacked Planned Parenthood and eased pesticide regulations.¶ Federal health officials have been privately expressing doubts for weeks that the money is coming, while publicly urging Congress to approve the cash now.¶ Even if Congress voted to approve the money tomorrow, it would still take weeks and months to get to the federal agencies, the cities and the counties that need it, Shah pointed out.

Obama opposition to GOP Zika bill tanks his PC

Howell 7/11 (Tom Howell Jr.: Covers politics for The Washington Times, “Republicans tell Obama to approve mosquito spraying in Puerto Rico or face spread of Zika crisis,” 7/11/16, http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jul/11/gop-obama-back-our-zika-plan-if-you-want-puerto-ri/, Accessed: 7/14/16, RRR)

The White House should drop its objections to a $1.1 billion plan to combat the Zika virus if it really wants Puerto Rico to start spraying for disease-carrying mosquitoes, congressional Republicans said Monday.¶ The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency last week told the island territory to ramp up its aerial bug-killing efforts because Zika is spreading on its own there and could start infecting dozens of pregnant women per day.¶ The CDC said it will help the island set up the type of mosquito control unit that vulnerable parts of the U.S. mainland have, while spending $500,000 to help Puerto Ricans dispose of old tires where mosquitoes breed.¶ In a letter to President Obama, four Senate Republicans and two House members said the administration is undermining its own advice by crying foul over a provision in a Republican-drafted Zika proposal that would temporarily roll back permit rules in the Clean Water Act.¶ Pesticides to kill mosquitoes are already regulated by the EPA, so forcing sprayers to gain a permit “adds time-consuming, costly red tape that discourages regular aerial spraying for mosquitoes.”¶ “Eliminating this unnecessary, duplicative permit requirement will encourage communities to spray for mosquitoes on a regular basis and help alleviate the burdens on our public health system by preventing the spread of Zika today, rather than reacting to it tomorrow,” the Republicans wrote.

Supreme Court Thumper

Obama spending PC on SC appointment now, TPP vote less likely

Lawson, international trade reporter, ’16 (Alex Lawson, Covering international trade disputes, enforcement efforts and regulatory developments for a legal industry audience, Law360, February 17, 2016, Fight To Replace Scalia Raises More Doubts About TPP Vote, http://www.law360.com/articles/760035/fight-to-replace-scalia-raises-more-doubts-about-tpp-vote)

The Trans-Pacific Partnership’s fraught path through the U.S. Congress has become even more uncertain with the sudden death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, as experts foresee the looming clash to fill the vacancy consuming a considerable amount of time and political capital. A vote on the massive 12-nation trade deal, which would unite 40 percent of the global economy, was already unlikely before the November elections for a variety of reasons, but the judicial and political shockwaves emanating from Justice Scalia’s death on Saturday figures to further upend the process, according to Miller & Chevalier Chtd. senior international trade adviser Welles Orr.

Garland fight thumps- Congressional recess will spark political reposturing

McLaughlin et al 7/14 (Daniel McLaughlin: Technologist exploring the 2016 presidential election, formerly worked at Boston Globe and graduated from MIT with a BS in urban studies and planning, Rachel Schallom: Designer and developer for Fusion, Kate Stohr: Data journalist for Fusion, “Here’s how much we’re paying the Senate to ignore a Supreme Court nominee,” 7/14/16, http://fusion.net/interactive/322311/supreme-court-nomination-congressional-deadlock/, Accessed: 7/15/16, RRR)

In this Washington Post op-ed, Gregory L. Diskant holds that Obama can appoint Garland to the court. The Senate’s refusal to consider the president’s nomination in a timely way, he writes, could be interpreted as a waiver of its right to provide advice and consent. While Michael D. Ramsey argues in the Atlantic that the Senate is not compelled to act on Garland’s nomination. The Senate is not refusing to ‘consider’ Garland’s nomination, he writes. Far from it. Senators are aware of the nomination and have decided that formal action should wait until after the election.¶ The president does have the power to appoint a nominee to the Supreme Court if the Senate is in recess for three days or longer, according to Senate rules. However, the appointment would be temporary, ending with the next session of Congress. The Senate is scheduled to take recess as of July 18. During the last recess, in March, some Republicans stayed behind in an apparent effort to block even a temporary appointment by President Obama. They could do so again.¶ As a matter of fact, Senate leaders have even reinterpreted the traditional definition of ‘recess’ in response to this vacancy on the Supreme court, with Republicans passing an adjournment resolution calling for ‘pro forma’ sessions (where no real work would be done) instead.

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