In Citizens United vs. FEC, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are equivalent to people, and thus have the same first amendment rights. Any attempt to abridge those rights (for example, the McCain-Feingold bill, which limited campaign donations) is a violation of the Constitution. This disastrous decision has paved the way for companies that care more about overseas profits than America.
Like many Americans, Congress is taking a break this week for the July 4th holiday. But while those Americans will return to their jobs after the holiday and resume their productive activities, the House of Representatives will hold a worthless vote on a bill for political purposes. There are many pressing problems in this country, and many bills worth voting on, yet House Republicans have scheduled a vote on Monday, July 11th to attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. There is absolutely no chance this bill will pass the Senate, let alone become law. Whatever your position on the healthcare law may be, this is clearly not what we pay Congress to do.
This week, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed a bill with overwhelming bipartisan support which would allow the United States to once again use countervailing duties against imports from China. The U.S. was previously able to use duties to counter China’s government subsidies for certain industries, but in December a U.S. appeals court ruled that practice illegal. Once signed by President Obama this new bill will ensure that vital U.S. industries do not lose the protection they previously enjoyed.
Leaders in both the House and Senate are crafting a bill to allow the United States to place countervailing duties on certain Chinese imports. This legislation comes in response to a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling last year that disallowed these duties. Leaders in both chambers are hoping that by writing the bill together they can speed its passage and allow the United States to begin using countervailing duties against China again by mid-March.
Despite the country’s continuing search for a functional political system, trade hawks in the United States are already proposing that the United States establish a free trade agreement with Egypt. We should ensure that any trade agreements we enter into are beneficial for the United States.
Trade Reform
