CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS
Sept. 20, 2011 – 11:21 p.m.
Bipartisan Trade Deal Survives Senate Test
By Ben Weyl, CQ Staff
Senators are holding to a carefully negotiated strategy designed to win approval of three long-stalled trade agreements by keeping a trade-related worker assistance bill free of major changes on the floor.
The Senate is moving to complete action on a legislative vehicle (
Many congressional Democrats have demanded renewal of the worker assistance program as the price for their support of free-trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. Approval of the trade deals, which were negotiated by President George W. Bush, is a priority for many companies and for the Obama administration.
The worry is that any significant amendment to the TAA vehicle might derail the process. But what was perhaps the biggest threat was averted Tuesday when a bipartisan group of senators rejected, 45-55, an amendment by Senate Minority Leader
McConnell’s amendment would have restored this arrangement, which has been a part of trade law off and on for several decades, through 2013.
More than a dozen Democratic senators who in 2002 had supported what is known as fast-track or trade promotion authority (TPA) voted Tuesday against the McConnell amendment. That suggests they are sticking by a plan to keep the TAA measure unchanged to ensure its relatively swift passage.
Some, like Sen.
“The fact of the matter is, the American economy has changed dramatically since TPA was adopted last, and the overseas trade barriers have changed dramatically,” Wyden said. “American trade policy is just too important to construct on the back of a galloping horse and that in my view would be what the Senate would be doing.”
As a sign of the fragile arrangement to win approval for the three trade pacts, the National Foreign Trade Council, a leading pro-trade organization, is opposing all amendments to the TAA extension.
The underlying legislative vehicle (
The Senate may vote as early as Wednesday to amend the bill with bipartisan TAA language that is expected to pass both chambers.
McConnell’s amendment would have given the president the ability to negotiate trade deals and deliver them to Congress under a procedure that permits only an up-or-down vote, without amendment, within 90 days of submission.
Presidential Authority
Bipartisan Trade Deal Survives Senate Test
McConnell has long supported renewing the president’s authority, which lapsed in 2007. And his amendment — which, along with the outcome, was expected — was evidently not intended to upend the pending trade pacts.
More likely, McConnell was seizing the opportunity to simultaneously push for a favored policy priority and criticize Obama for his handling of the economy.
“With 14 million Americans out of work and thousands of Americans looking for opportunities to sell American-made goods around the world, we can’t afford to wait like we did on these three free-trade agreements while the administration makes up its mind that American jobs are more important than appeasing their union allies,” McConnell said.
An Obama administration official said that now is not the time to slow action on the pending deals with a debate over the president’s negotiating authority.
“At an appropriate time, President Obama will seek to work with Congress to make sure that the administration has the necessary tools to move forward on future trade agreements,” the official said.
Several other GOP senators have signaled their intention to seek amendments to the GSP measure, and Reid has arranged for at least two votes Wednesday.
The Senate will vote on an amendment by Sen.
The Senate is also set to vote on an amendment offered by Sen.
Sen.
Sen. Olympia J. Snow, R-Maine, said she filed an amendment similar to legislation (
But the fate of McConnell’s amendment likely presages that of others, as lawmakers fight off any amendments that could endanger the broad agreement providing for passage of TAA and the three trade deals.
The “path forward” for the three trade pacts was announced by Senate Majority Leader
Reid filed the TAA amendment Tuesday, which consists of a compromise package developed by Senate Finance Chairman
Bipartisan Trade Deal Survives Senate Test
Reid told reporters Tuesday that timing for a final vote on the legislation would depend on the actions of Republican senators and their attempts to win approval of amendments. Reid also reaffirmed his position that absent passage of TAA, the trade deals themselves would not advance.
“There will be no trade agreements unless Trade Adjustment Assistance passes,” he said. “That’s an agreement I have.”