Rand Paul: Obamatrade Contains Tax Hikes on Small Businesses

Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) is calling on Republicans in the House—and the grassroots nationwide—to oppose efforts by House Ways and Means Committee chairman Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) to revive Obamatrade via a tax increase hidden inside the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) portion of the deal.

Paul said when asked to react to an article from Breitbart News from late Sunday evening exposing the tax increase in the deal:

"You know typically to pass these kinds of things, the establishment will try to buy off Democrats by sprinkling money so they have some money in there. To get the money, under our budget rules, we have to pay for it—so they want to pay for it with a fine on small businesses. But I thought a point that was made in the article which was pretty good is this is similar to the fines they wanted to do in Obamacare with 1099s and there was such an outcry it’s the only part of Obamacare we ever repealed. So I think when people discover they’re sticking a tax increase in there I think people will be even more unhappy."

Paul said he recommends all Republicans vote against TAA when Ryan and House GOP leadership bring it back up on Tuesday for an attempt to revive it after it embarrassingly failed 302-126 when they tried to pass TAA last week in the House. To send Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) to President Obama’s desk, TPA and TAA have to pass as a package. A bipartisan coalition formed to take down TAA last week, therefore temporarily killing Obamatrade as a whole—but House GOP leadership, at Ryan’s insistence, is going to try to change the game and pass TAA again on Tuesday despite the fact it raises taxes on small business.

Leadership didn’t tell any of the members—including the 86 Republicans who voted for TAA last week—that they put the tax increase in the deal.

More