According to the American Conservative Union’s 2014 ratings, only two members of the Senate — Texas Republican Ted Cruz and Utah Republican Mike Lee — have perfect conservative voting records. Most of the time they vote the same way. But in the May 22 vote to grant President Obama authority to “Fast Track” trade deals (Trade Promotion Authority, or TPA), Cruz voted yes, while Lee voted no.
Lee’s vote required a little explanation. In a statement, he explained that he voted against TPA only because it was coupled with the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, which Lee strongly opposed. “I am a big believer in free trade,” Lee said in a statement. “But I have been very clear from the beginning of this debate that I could not vote for Trade Promotion Authority if the wasteful and ineffectual Trade Adjustment Assistance program was attached … I hope to have the chance to give my full and unreserved support to the TPA, as a standalone bill, in the near future.”
