WH Tries To Toughen Trade Stance
WH files WTO case against China. NYT: "The Obama administration accused China on Wednesday of providing illegal export subsidies to critical industries, flexing its muscle on trade as it presses Congress to expand President Obama’s authority to secure major trade accords ... The response among American lawmakers was what the administration wanted. Democrats are leading the opposition to the president’s trade push, and they greeted the administration’s actions warmly."
Third Way flip-flops on NAFTA to push TPP. W. Post: "The Democratic think tank Third Way has long defended centrist, pro-business policies against their detractors -- including the North American Free Trade Agreement ... Now, it's changed its mind ... in a new analysis to be released Thursday, trade agreements since then -- which look much more like the massive pacts currently being negotiated with countries in Europe and Asia -- have showed much better results ... Progressive groups that have clashed with Third Way over trade -- and which oppose the TPP -- criticized the analysis..."
Congress Debates Transportation Bill
Republicans complain about bike paths in any transportation bill during House hearing. W. Post: "Reining in rural state lawmakers who want every penny of gas-tax revenue spent on roads and bridges will fall to Bill Shuster (R.-Pa.), [House transportation] chairman ... [Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx] cited demographic shifts that have more people moving to urban hubs, many of them to downtown core areas that were abandoned by their parents a generation ago."
House Dems tries to throw cold water on funding highway bill via repatriation. The Hill: "'We’re not going to see repatriation out of this Congress,' said Rep. Peter DeFazio (Ore.), the top ranking Democrat on the panel. 'The Republicans don’t support it.' Foxx sounded more optimistic. 'I’m hearing differently about the possibility of business tax reform,' he said."
Congress playing "small ball," so far, on tax reform. The Hill: "Top tax writers are adamant they still want to pursue a major reworking of the tax code, but with progress hard to come by for the last several years, the Senate Finance Committee agreed to easily pass several targeted tax tweaks in the meantime.
Breakfast Sides
Europe-Greece talks produce no deal. Time: "After a seven-hour meeting, euro-zone Finance Ministers’ group chairman Jeroen Dijsselbloem said they had made progress in Brussels, 'but not enough progress yet at this point to come to joint conclusions.' Both sides were optimistic for a future deal but failed to agree on a joint statement that would lay out the next steps forward ... They have scheduled further talks for Monday."
Republican civil war over immigration intensifies. NYT: "Growing increasingly frustrated, Mr. Boehner even offered some salty language from the lectern: 'Why don’t you go ask the Senate Democrats when are they going to get off their ass and do something other than to vote no?' ... 'Sooner or later, we’re going to have to accept reality,' said Representative Charlie Dent, Republican of Pennsylvania[, '[and] pass something closer to a clean or cleaner bill.' ... [Sen. Mark] Kirk said he thought Republicans 'ought to strip the bill of extraneous issues [and] just fund D.H.S.'"
