The Problem with Mike Pence: He’s A Free Trade Globalist
Although unconfirmed by the Trump campaign, it is being reported that the candidate has chosen Indian Gov. Mike Pence as his running mate.
If true, this will be problematic for Donald Trump and his criticism of globalist trade and the neocon wars.
Voted Consistently for Globalist Trade Deals
Pence, who previously represented Indiana’s 6th congressional district in the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2013, voted for a significant number of so-called free trade bills.
- HR 3078 Trade Promotion Agreement with Colombia
- HR 3079 Trade Promotion Agreement with Panama
- HR 3080 Free Trade Agreement with Korea
- HR 3688 United States-Peru Trade Agreement
- HR 1830 Andean Trade Preference Act Extension
- HR 5684 U.S.-Oman Free Trade Agreement Implementation
- HR 3045 CAFTA Implementation Bill
- HR 2738 U.S.-Chile Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
- HR 2739 U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act
- HR 3009 Andean Trade Preference Act Extension
- HR 3005 Fast Track Trade Authority bill
CAFTA (Central American Free Trade Agreement) is basically an expansion of NAFTA, the Clinton-era trade bill that decimated the American workforce, terminating over 766,000 jobs. It is considered a stepping stone for the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). CAFTA was approved by Congress in July 2005 and was signed into law by George W. Bush on August. 2, 2005.
Fast Track Trade authority allows the president to negotiate international agreements that Congress can approve or deny but cannot amend or filibuster, thus reducing the input of the American people in the treaty process. It is unconstitutional because it provides unwarranted power to the executive. Under the Constitution—Article II, Section 2—Congress is supposed to write the laws and set trade policy, not the president.
Trump has stated that globalist trade deals are a bad deal for America.
“The TPP is a horrible deal. It is a deal that is going to lead to nothing but trouble. It’s a deal that was designed for China to come in, as they always do, through the back door and totally take advantage of everyone. It’s 5,600 pages long, so complex that nobody’s read it. This is one of the worst trade deals,” he said during a Fox Business News/WSJ debate in November.
Trump is not opposed to fair free trade, however. He believes trades deals should be negotiated to benefit America.
“You only have to look at our trade deficit to see that we are being taken to the cleaners by our trading partners. We need tougher negotiations, not protectionist walls around America. We need to ensure that foreign markets are as open to our products as our country is to theirs. Our long-term interests require that we cut better deals with our world trading partners,” he wrote in his book, The America We Deserve.
Selecting Mike Pence as a running mate sends a terrible message. It opens the door for free trade globalists to influence trade and economic policy.
Supported Neocon Invasions and the Endless War On Terror
There are other problems with Pence, notably in regard to foreign policy.
While he did vote on banning armed forces in Libya without congressional approval, he voted for the Authorization for the Use of Military Force Against Iraq. Additionally, he voted against redeploying US troops out of Iraq and voted for a resolution declaring Iraq part of War on Terror with no exit date.
Pence voted for sanctions imposed on Syria to “assist democratic transition,” in other words support the jihadi opposition currently destroying the country.
He also signed the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act that imposes sanctions in response to Iran’s illusory nuclear weapons program.
In short, Mike Pence is a globalist neocon who should have no place in a Trump administration.
