The
U.S. House of Representatives voted (Bloomberg) 218 to 208 to
pass fast-track legislation that would grant President Barack Obama trade
promotion authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The Senate is
expected to vote on the bill next week.
This
CFR Backgrounder explores the future of
U.S. trade policy.
“This is a vote for a stronger economy and higher wages. This is a vote for our system of free enterprise. This is a vote for American leadership,” said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, a Wisconsin Republican, on the floor before the vote.The measure, known as trade promotion authority, would let Obama submit trade agreements to Congress for an expedited, up-or-down vote without amendments. It would give the authority to Obama and the next president for six years as part of a package that revamps U.S. trade policy into the next decade.
House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a joint statement Wednesday vowing that Congress would send President Barack Obama a package of trade bills that would allow him to finish negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The House could begin the process Thursday, by voting on a bill to grant Obama fast-track trade negotiation authority. The joint statement is a sign that congressional leaders believe they'll have the votes to revive Obama's trade agenda after it was derailed last week by House Democrats.
House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell issued a joint statement Wednesday vowing that Congress would send President Barack Obama a package of trade bills that would allow him to finish negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The House could begin the process Thursday, by voting on a bill to grant Obama fast-track trade negotiation authority. The joint statement is a sign that congressional leaders believe they'll have the votes to revive Obama's trade agenda after it was derailed last week by House Democrats.
