Update 6/23/15: The Senate reached a filibuster-proof majority (called cloture) on a procedural vote for Fast Track which means that the bill will advance tomorrow to its final vote. The tally today was 60 votes to proceed and 37 votes to stop with 3 abstaining. Thirteen of the fourteen Democrats who voted for Fast Track before voted yes today with Maryland Senator Cardin waiting until it was clear that cloture would pass before casting his vote against. Click here to see how your Senators voted. If fast track passes tomorrow (which appears likely), then it will be ready for the president to sign it into law.
Emergency actions are being planned for Monday and Tuesday. Visit the ACTION MAP to find one near you.
Next steps to stop Fast Track:
It looks like the Senate could pass Fast Track this Wednesday and that means it would go to the President’s desk for his signature. Obama has a signing ceremony for the TPP at the end of June but he needs Fast Track first.
We need to escalate our opposition to Fast Track beyond traditional phone calls and lobbying. We are planning DC actions and looking for local solidarity actions.
Please contact us at info@popularresistance.org if you are interested in joining actions. We must Stop Fast Track now!
Here’s the Facebook page for DC actions starting Tuesday. If you don’t use Facebook, please fill out this form to let us know you’re coming. CLICK HERE.
Update:
The House passed a standalone Fast Track bill today by a vote of 218 to 208. Click here to see how your Representative voted.
The bill will now go to the Senate for a vote. The first vote is expected on Tuesday and if that passes, a second and final vote on Wednesday.
If it passes in the Senate, it will go to the president’s desk to be signed. The White House is already backing off its ‘promise’ not to sign Fast Track if Trade Adjustment Assistance doesn’t pass. Remember that the TPP and the other two treaties are the president’s highest priorities.
Start contacting Senators now and tell them to vote “No” on Fast Track! The House Fast Track bill is worse than the Senate version because according to Arthur Stamoulis of Citizens Trade Campaign, it “would weaken human trafficking measures; eliminate simple currency measures and other enforcement provisions; and even prohibit the consideration of climate solutions in future trade negotiations.”
Here are the Democrats who voted for Fast Track last time with phone numbers and twitter handles:
Michael Bennet (CO) 202 224 5852 @senbennetco
Maria Cantwell (WA) 202 224 3441 @cantwellpress
Ben Cardin (MD) 202 224 4524 @senatorcardin
Tom Carper (DE) 202 224 2441 @senatorcarper
Chris Coons (DE) 202 224 5042 @sencoonsoffice
Dianne Feinstein (CA) 202 224 3841 @senfeinstein
Heidi Heitkamp (ND) 202 224 2043 @senatorheitkamp
Tim Kaine (VA) 202 224 4024 @senkaineoffice
Claire McCaskill (MO) 202 224 6154 @mccaskilloffice
Patty Murray (WA) 202 224 2621 @pattymurray
Bill Nelson (FL) 202 225 5274 @senbillnelson
Jeanne Shaheen (NH) 202 224 2841 @senatorshaheen
Mark Warner (VA) 202 224 2023 @markwarner
Ron Wyden (OR) 202 224 5244 @ronwyden
Hey Fast Track Resisters,
The White House is working furiously with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to find a way to finagle passing a Fast Track bill. Republican Leadership is meeting with Free Trade Democrats behind closed doors to scheme.The media is rife with speculation about how they will pass Fast Track – voting on stand-alone Fast Track bills in the House and Senate, attaching Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to other more popular bills, etc.
It looks like the House will vote on Fast Track Thursday morning (June 18). They begin debate at 9 am EDT. You can watch it on CSPAN. We will be gathering outside the Capitol on the corner of Independence Ave and New Jersey Ave SE in Washington, DC at 7 am to catch Members as they drive or walk to the Capitol.
Here is the Facebook page: Emergency Action: Stop Fast Track If you can’t make it to DC, we urge you to keep the calls coming in!
First call the 28 Democrats who voted for Fast Track and tell them to oppose Fast Track next time. They are getting all sorts of favors for their votes (Gerry Connolly, Jim Himes, Eddie Bernice Johnson and Mike Quigley got a trip to Germany with the President) but history shows us that the promises fall apart and so do their careers.
Here is a list of the Democratic Free Traitors with contact information: CLICK HERE
And here is a new study by Public Citizen showing the consequences of ‘yes’ votes: “Dealmaking leads to Broken Promises and Lost Elections”
Then contact your personal Representative and either thank them for voting against it or ‘spank’ them for voting for it and urge them to vote “No on Fast Track” when it comes up again. Use www.StopFastTrack.com
Yesterday we folded up the Rigged Trade Rebellion on Capitol Hill to regroup, catch some shuteye and strategize about next steps. We will return on Thursday at 7 am. A big thanks to those who joined us, donated money to help us cover the costs and made phone calls.
Here are three things you can do to stop Fast Track!
1. Call and tweet at House Representatives today and everyday until Fast Track is stopped. Urge others to do the same.
2. Start planning a local thank and spank action during the July 4 recess. Members will be home from June 27 to July 6. Birddog them or demonstrate at their offices or homes or in a highly visible area. If your member voted to stop Fast Track, then thank them and tell them to stay strong. If they voted for Fast Track then ‘spank’ them and tell them to oppose Fast Track next time. Post your actions for others to see by clicking here.
3. Join the Fast Track Resistance call Wednesday nights at 9 pm EDT to hear the legislative updates and talk about strategy for moving forward. Click here to register.
Email Mackenzie@PopularResistance.org for questions or comments!
We need to win this fight and we can, but we need your help!
For more info or to donate, visit flushthetpp.org.