Toomey says no to trade deal
In an op-ed piece in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette
In a move Democrats are calling a flip-flop, Pennsylvania U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey says he’s opposed to the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
President Obama’s proposed trade deal has become a whipping boy this election season, with candidates in both parties saying it will cost American jobs.
In an op-ed piece in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Toomey said he favors trade, but that the TPP falls short in protecting Pennsylvania’s pharmaceutical and dairy industries.
His challenger, Democrat Katie McGinty, opposes the deal, and her campaign charges Toomey with a pandering reversal of his position, citing a vote last year and numerous statements about the benefits of a trade deal.
Toomey’s office said his 2015 vote was to approve a procedure for Senate consideration of the deal and that he never endorsed the current proposal.
Toomey’s position here is strikingly reminiscent of Hillary Clinton’s evolution on the issue. She favored the TPP as a member of the Obama administration, but now opposes it.
And, like Clinton, Toomey is a competitive election campaign.
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