Congress granted fast-track trade negotiating powers to the White House Wednesday, surmounting the objections of liberal and conservative pressure groups who’d tried to scuttle the bipartisan deal, which delivers a tremendous win to President Obama.
The 60-38 vote was followed by a 76-22 vote to head off a filibuster and approve new assistance for workers who lose their jobs because of free trade agreements. Mr. Obama had insisted both be approved, or else he had hinted he would reject the fast-track powers.
Known officially as Trade Promotion Authority or TPA, the fast-track powers passed the House last week and now go straight to the White House for Mr. Obama’s signature. The worker assistance package, known as Trade Adjustment Assistance or TAA, will go back to the House for a final vote, likely on Thursday.
“A new Congress that’s back to work for the middle class just notched another win for everyone who cares about strengthening American paychecks, American jobs, and the American economy,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, who helped craft the coalition that delivered the victory to Mr. Obama.
House Democratic leaders, who sank an earlier version of the trade package, have indicated they’ll back the bill this time around, removing the last obstacles and virtually ensuring passage. And the AFL-CIO admitted defeat late Wednesday, freeing Democrats to vote for the worker assistance package without fear of retribution.
The president will use the fast-track powers to finish negotiations on a massive deal involving 11 Pacific Rim nations, and could use them to finalize a European deal, too.
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Both conservative and liberal opponents said they don’t trust Mr. Obama to strike a good deal for American workers, and objected to giving him fast-track powers, which allow him to negotiate a deal and submit if for an up-or-down vote without the chance for amendments in either the House or Senate.
In exchange, he must keep Congress updated on the negotiations, and must conform the final agreement to the priorities lawmakers laid out in TPA.
The split among the GOP has been deep, but nowhere near as bad as the rift that’s separated Mr. Obama from his liberal Democratic base.
Indeed, liberal pressure groups have vowed to field primary challengers to run against Democrats who enabled the trade package, essentially declaring war against the troops who delivered Mr. Obama’s top second-term domestic priority.
They predicted jobs will flee the U.S. as other countries, not bound by tough labor and environmental laws, will undercut American workers.
Those groups had been counting on House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to lead a fight in the House to defeat the worker assistance bill, which would have poisoned the entire debate.
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But the California Democrat said Wednesday she’ll support the worker package — reversing herself from just a week ago, when she said she didn’t see a path to getting that bill through.
She said the new fight will be over the Pacific trade deal, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
“House Democrats will be shining a bright light on the provisions of TPP as the negotiations proceed,” she vowed. “The American people deserve a high level of transparency to make their own judgments about this trade agreement.”
Business groups had pressed hard for passage of fast-track powers, and said Wednesday’s vote shows the moderate political center still has power.
“Our leaders in Washington proved they could tune out the populists and demagogues of the left and the right and take action on an important measure to put our economy back on track,” U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Thomas J. Donohue said in a statement praising leaders in both parties for linking arms.
The deal marks the first major legislative accomplishment achieved by consensus between Mr. Obama and congressional GOP leaders — particularly Mr. McConnell and House Speaker John A. Boehner.
Mr. McConnell, who had once famously declared his chief goal was to make Mr. Obama a one-term president, told reporters this week he had enjoyed working with the president, and hoped the trade deal would be the first in a series of bills they could work on together.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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