Koch Brothers Organization to Fund Democrats Who Back Free Trade

Charles Koch

In a memo to its staff, the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity organization announced that it is set to back any elected official in Washington, DC, — including Democrats — who support their agenda of amnesty for illegal aliens and endless free trade, and oppose the GOP voter-preferred economic nationalist agenda of less immigration and tariffs to protect American jobs, reports Breitbart.

Nothing to complain about here, it is a pretty solid libertarian move.
It is pro-free markets in the movement of goods and people.

Support for free trade absolutism, amnesty for illegal aliens, and an anti-economic nationalist voting record are basic requirements for Democrats and Republicans who want financial support from the Koch brothers, as outlined in AFP’s memo:

Four new issue specific Political Action Committees (PACs) will be created to make contributions directly to candidates. We know that candidates will seldom agree with Americans for Prosperity on every issue. But for those who do the politically difficult job of leading on a critical issue, these issue specific PACs will make it clear why millions of Americans support them on that issue, even if they have principled disagreements on others. The PACs, which will launch in the coming weeks as new entities working with our broader community, are: Uniting for Economic Opportunity, Uniting for Free Expression, Uniting for Free Trade, and Uniting for Immigration Reform. 

Notes Breitbart:

 The initiative is set to put the Koch brothers’ network of donor class organizations in line with Democrats such as Joe Biden — who has backed amnesty for all illegal aliens and continues to support the NAFTA free trade deal that eliminated nearly five million American jobs — and Republicans such as Justin Amash who opposes the use of tariffs and has previously suggested support for an amnesty for illegal aliens shielded from deportation by President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

Meanwhile, the Kochs’ doubling down on amnesty and free trade puts them not only at odds with economic nationalists such as President Donald Trump and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) — both of whom support tariffs on foreign imports and cracking down on multinational corporations who outsource U.S. jobs — but also with the overwhelming majority of Republican voters, conservatives, and Trump supporters.

This is a pretty bold move by the Koch brothers, though it is in line with corporate establishment positions, so it isn't shaking the entire boat. From Breitbart:

The latest Harvard/Harris Poll revealed that the vast majority, nearly 8-in-10, Republican voters support tariffs on Chinese imports. Likewise, close to 85 percent of Trump supporters said they support tariffs on China and 76 percent of conservative voters said the same. A majority, 53 percent, of all U.S. voters said they support tariffs on Chinese imports.

On immigration, the billionaire donor class continues to be out of step with Republican voters.

While the Koch brothers, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, corporate CEOs, and Silicon Valley elites have continuously demanded amnesty for illegal aliens and increased levels of legal immigration, Republican voters have said their top priorities are building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border to stop illegal immigration and reducing all legal immigration to the country.

-RW