Trade

House approves stand alone fast-track bill, sent to Senate

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Stop-TPPAs I posted earlier this week, House GOP leaders scheduled a vote this week on a stand-alone bill granting President Obama fast-track trade authority.

The legislation would not include Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), a program that provides billions in funding for American workers harmed by trade. Passing the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) stand-alone bill in the House would decouple the legislation from the aid bill, and kick the trade bill back to the Senate. A later vote would be taken on a stand alone TAA bill.

The House today barely passed the stand alone TPA bill. House approves fast-track 218-208, sending bill to Senate:

The House on Thursday took the first step toward resuscitating the White House’s trade agenda by passing legislation granting President Obama fast-track authority.

The bill now goes to the Senate, where the White House and GOP leaders are seeking to strike a deal with pro-free trade Democrats.

The House vote was 218-208, with 28 Democrats voting for it.

[Roll Call Vote No. 374: Yes: Franks, McSally, Salmon, Schweikert – No: Gallego, Grijalva,  Kirkpatrick, Sinema –  Not Voting; Gosar.]

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The TanMan throws a temper tantrum over TPP trade bill

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I posted last week that the House rule which the GOP leadership had put forward to split the vote on the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) and  Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) for fast-track authority had to be rescued by a handful of pro-free trade Democrats who switched their votes to pass the House rule by a single vote. Both bills would have to pass under the House rule in order to approve fast-track authority.  The failure of either bill would spell defeat for fast-track.

Screenshot-6It was all to no avail the next day as Democrats, using the TAA vote to torpedo the TPA, and Republicans who are always opposed to providing any assistance to workers displaced by their blind devotion to free trade, combined to overwhelmingly reject the TAA bill. While the TPA bill later passed, it was purely symbolic after the defeat of the TAA bill under the House rule.

The White House dismissed the vote as a procedural “snafu,” and the TanMan, Weeper of the House John Boehner, vowed that he would bring fast-track back for reconsideration in a vote this week.

Today the TanMan threw a temper tantrum with his insurrectionist GOP caucus, and kicked the can down the road into July for reconsideration of the vote for fast-track authority.

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House Democrats derail fast-track authority for TPP

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Stop-TPPDefying President Obama, Obama pleads with Dems to save fast-track trade package, House Democrats on Friday rallied to vote down legislation granting aid to workers displaced by trade, i.e., the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program, dealing a potentially fatal blow to the fast-track legislation. Under the House rule passed on Thursday, the TAA had been packaged with fast-track authority, and a vote against either doomed the total package. House deals humiliating blow to Obama in trade fight:

An overwhelming majority of Democrats voted to sink the package in the 126-302 vote despite an impassioned plea from the president, which he delivered in person during a rare morning visit to Capitol Hill. A majority of Republicans also opposed the bill.

The vote came minutes after a dramatic floor speech by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who rebuffed lobbying by Obama to vote against the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program.

Pelosi noted that Democrats have traditionally backed TAA, but sided with liberals in her conference who argued a vote against the program was the only way to stop fast-track.

“If TAA slows down the fast track, I’m prepared to vote against TAA,” Pelosi said.

Other members of Pelosi’s leadership team, including House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) and Reps. James Cyburn (S.C.) and Steve Israel (N.Y.), voted “yes.”

On the GOP side, Speaker John Boehner (Ohio) cast a vote in favor of TAA. Speakers cast floor votes on relatively rare occasions.

[The vote was 126  to 302.] Only 40 Democrats backed TAA, while 144 voted against it. On the GOP side, 158 Republicans voted “no,” while 86 Republicans voted “yes.”

[Roll No. 361. A rare unanimous Arizona delegation voting No: Franks, Gallego. Gosar, Grijalva, Kirkpatrick, McSally, Salmon, Schweikert, Sinema]

The vote against TAA is a humiliating defeat for Obama, who had spent weeks lobbying House Democrats to support his trade agenda in the face of overwhelming opposition from liberal groups and organized labor.

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Fast-Track survives a scare, vote set for Friday

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Stop-TPPThe pending vote on fast-track authorization for the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement on Friday survived today by one vote on a procedural rule vote.

Arizona Rep. Matt Salmon and his so-called House Freedom Caucus of far-right conservatives did not support the GOP leadership’s rule, and eight pro-free trade Democrats had to switch their vote to save the procedural rule.

The Hill reports, Trade bill survives scare:

President Obama’s trade agenda survived a bad scare in the House on Thursday when the GOP rule governing debate for the package narrowly survived a 217-212 vote.

Thirty-four Republicans voted against the rule, while eight Democrats backed it.

A handful of pro-free trade Democrats withheld their votes, watching the tally closely from the floor. Then, when it was apparent Republicans would not be able to pass the typically partisan measure on its own, they threw their votes in favor all at once.

The tight vote foreshadows the challenge GOP leaders will face Friday, when the House votes on two critical pieces of Obama’s trade agenda: fast-track authority and a separate bill offering help to workers displaced by trade.

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Fast Track trade bill clears procedural hurdle, headed for passage in the Senate

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The Senate voted on Thursday to end debate on fast-track trade legislation, handing a significant victory to President Obama and moving the bill a step closer to passage. Senate takes key step toward passing fast-track for Obama:

Screenshot from 2015-01-25 15:31:49Senators voted 62-38 on the bill, which will allow the president to send a sweeping Asia-Pacific trade deal to Congress for an up-or-down vote, and prevent the deal from being amended by Congress.

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Thirteen Democrats in total voted to end debate on a measure that badly divided Obama from his party.

Sens. Patty Murray (Wash.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.) and Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.) were among the final Democratic yes votes.

[The other Democrats who voted to end debate were Sens. Tom Carper (Del.), Claire McCaskill (Mo.), Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.), Chris Coons (Del.), Mark Warner (Va.), Michael Bennet (Colo.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Bill Nelson (Fla.) and Ron Wyden (Ore.), the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.]

They appeared to vote after Cantwell secured an agreement from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) to allow a vote in June on renewing the Export-Import Bank’s charter.

The bank, which has come under criticism from conservative Republicans, helps finance U.S. investments meant to increase trade, and has been supported in the past by Boeing.

Senate Republicans say votes on amendments and final passage of fast-track are unlikely before Friday. They are hoping to wrap up the trade package Friday afternoon.

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