During her time in Washington, Sen. Fischer has compiled a dismal record on trade policy. In May and again in June 2015, Fischer voted for legislation to give President Obama Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) otherwise known as “fast track”. After the vote, Fischer released the following statement:
“Our nation has an enormous opportunity to open new markets, increase productivity, and create jobs through strong free-trade agreements. Today, the Senate passed bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority legislation ensuring that the United States will have a strong voice at the negotiating table. It also ensures that the unsung heroes of the American dinner table – including Nebraska’s farmers, ranchers, food processors, and their families – will be able to offer their products to the world.”
Has Fischer ever read the US Constitution? Because that document delineates the powers governing trade and tariff policies. Article 1, Section 8 grants Congress the authority to “regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states.” This clause forms the basis of congressional control over trade, empowering it to impose tariffs and shape trade policies. Historically, this authority provided the means to generate revenue and protect emerging industries from foreign competition.
Why did Fischer give up power delegated to the legislative branch to allow the executive branch to shape trade policy? Fast Track, which has only been around since 1974, allowed the president to negotiate international agreements in an expedited manner and with limited congressional oversight. Trade deals then come to Congress for an up or down vote with no amendments. How many Nebraskans know this? The effect of this is that that it places too much power in the executive branch, allowing the president to unilaterally select partner countries for ‘trade’ pacts, decide the agreements’ contents, and then negotiate and sign the agreements—all before Congress has a vote on the matter. Normal congressional committee processes are forbidden, meaning that the executive branch is empowered to write lengthy legislation on its own with no review or amendments.
Fischer also voted against two key amendments to the TPA bill. Fischer opposed a bipartisan amendment by Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) that would have required that any future trade deals submitted under “fast track” include enforceable currency provisions. The amendment was aimed at currency cheating nations such as China and Korea who manipulate their currency and was needed to protect American workers and businesses
Then Fischer voted against another amendment that would have prevented “fast track” procedures from being used on trade deals that included Investor-State Dispute Settlements (ISDS), which allow foreign companies to challenge U.S. laws. This amendment was designed to protect America’s sovereignty and the rule of law. Wonder if local Tea Party groups in Nebraska know about this vote, because they’ll be pretty pissed when they find out that Deb was trying to erode American sovereignty!
Obama wanted TPA renewed so he could push through his Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. But “fast track” for TPP would have made it easier for corporations to send American jobs overseas, and would undermine our wages by forcing Americans to compete with Vietnamese workers making fifty-six cents an hour.
TPP closely resembled the Korean Free Trade Agreement negotiated in 2013 which has increased our trade deficit with South Korea by 50 percent and cost 60,000 U.S. jobs in its first two years. More Kias and Hyundais coming in and less Nebraska beef and soybeans going to Korea.
Fast track and TPP put our health at risk by allowing unregulated food products into our country, such as seafood from Malaysia where contaminants and banned toxic chemicals have been found in seafood or Vietnamese shrimp farmed in unhealthy conditions. Under TPP, which Fischer supported and wanted to vote for, we could not hold these imported foods to U.S. food-safety standards.
Next, Fischer took aim at the Trade Adjustment Assistance program (TAA). Started by President John F. Kennedy in 1962, TAA is administered by the U.S. Department of Labor and allows workers and companies to apply for training and temporary income assistance for workers who have been laid off due to rising imports or offshoring.
1,547 Nebraskans lost their jobs at 22 companies between May 2015 and December 23, 2020 and were eligible for more than $9.3 million in TAA benefits. Source: Public Citizen. Department of Labor Trade Adjustment Assistance Consolidated Petitions Database. Washington, DC
First, Fischer voted against an amendment to the TPA bill restoring funding for the TAA program to approximately $575 million, the level established by the Trade Adjustment Assistance Extension Act of 2011. Then she tried to defund the entire program by voting for an amendment to strike the extension of the TAA program. See, for Deb Fischer, Nebraska workers who lost their jobs because of foreign imports or because their companies moved offshore, are just pieces of trash to be kicked to the curb and forgotten about.
There is a lucrative market for American farm, forest and fishing products worth $1.24 billion in annual sales according to a study by Texas A&M University. It’s Cuba, just 90 miles off the coast of Florida. Nebraska would win big if we allowed Cuba to buy our agricultural products on credit like all our other trading partners instead of cash. Texas A&M found that Nebraska would rank 9th among the 50 states in export value with $40.8 million annually which would help to create 1,164 jobs in the state of the 31,262 new jobs which would be created nationally if we could export to Cuba. Take dairy products. Cuba is a deficit milk producer and currently imports 50,000-100,000 tons of milk powder annually, primarily from New Zealand, South America and Poland. This milk powder and butter could come from Cornhusker State dairy farms.
But you won’t find Fischer’s name as a co-sponsor of the Freedom to Export to Cuba Act which was filed by Sen. Jerry Moran and Sen. Roger Marshall, both Kansas Republicans along with two Senate Democrats. The bill repeals key provisions of existing laws that block Americans from doing business in Cuba, but keeps in place laws that address human rights or property claims against the Cuban government. Nor has Fischer co-sponsored any versions of the Cuba Agricultural Exports Act that have had bipartisan support in both branches of Congress during her two terms. Even the US Chamber of Commerce supports making money by exporting our stuff to Cuba.
Republicans often bring up Cuba’s human rights record as a reason not to do a trade deal. But we do business with China, a nation that has a horrendous record on human rights including persecution of the Uyghurs in the far northwest region of China. This argument fails to hold water.