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.
It 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.