http://thehill.com/policy/finance/trade/239695-warren-lashes-back-at-obama-on-trade By Kevin Cirilli - 04/22/15 12:02 PM EDT
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) fired back at President Obama Wednesday over remarks he made a day earlier about her position trade, further underscoring the increasingly bitter divide among Democrats on the issue.
Appearing Tuesday on MSNBC's "Hardball," the president said Warren and other liberal critics of the administration’s position on a sweeping international trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) were on the wrong side of the debate.
Warren — spurred on by labor unions and outside progressive groups — argues that Obama's policies would benefit big businesses and hurt U.S. workers.
"I love Elizabeth. We’re allies on a whole host of issues. But she’s wrong on this," Obama said.
On Wednesday, Warren responded via Twitter.
"The Obama Admin says I'm wrong — we shouldn't worry about TPP. So why can’t the American people read the deal?" she questioned.
It was a direct attack against the administration's handling of the negotiations, which liberals say have lacked transparency.
The administration argues that it hasn't made the deal public to protect the status of the sensitive, ongoing negotiations.
Obama is attempting to build a bipartisan Congressional coalition to support the 12-nation pact that he says would help economic growth and provide fair guidelines for workers.
He's asking Congress to grant him trade promotion authority (TPA) — or "fast-track" power — that'd allow him to negotiate trade deals without them being amended in Congress.
In a blog post that accompanied Warren's tweet, she doubled down in her criticism of Obama.
"The Administration says I’m wrong — that there’s nothing to worry about," Warren wrote. "They say the deal is nearly done, and they are making a lot of promises about how the deal will affect workers, the environment, and human rights. Promises — but people like you can’t see the actual deal."
