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发帖数: 29846 | 1 In a dramatic defeat for the White House, President Obama's trade agenda ran
aground in the House on Friday as Democrats banded together in opposition
despite a personal plea from the president.
In a 302-126 vote, the House killed a worker aid bill that was tied to the
president's main agenda item -- legislation that would give Obama "fast-
track" authority to negotiate trade deals. Without it, the trade push -- a
key plank of the president's second-term agenda -- withers for now. The vote
marked a stunning blow for the president at the hands of his own party,
with Nancy Pelosi and labor unions helping drive the stake into the
legislation in the end.
Minutes before the vote, Pelosi took to the floor to appeal for a "better
deal" for American workers.
The key vote was on so-called Trade Adjustment Assistance bill, a program
that retrains workers displaced by trade. The bill was originally put on the
table as a sweetener to help entice recalcitrant Democrats to back the "
fast-track" bill. But Democrats are so opposed to that legislation, they
voted down the sweetener.
The biggest defection for Obama came when Pelosi joined the rebellion in
opposing TAA. Though she supports the worker aid, she said voting against it
was the only way to "slow down the fast track."
She said the main trade bill would be "stuck in the station" without TAA.
Indeed, the president's entire trade plan is now stalled. The House did hold
a symbolic vote and approved the "fast-track" legislation moments after the
TAA measure failed. The 219-211 vote showed the trade bill technically had
enough support. But under the rules in effect, the overall legislation,
previously approved by the Senate, could not advance to the White House
unless both halves were agreed to.
The vote came after Obama paid a rare Capitol Hill visit, meeting with
Democrats in a bid to ease their concerns. Obama was trying to calm the
rebellion in the ranks on an issue that has created unusual alliances --
with congressional Republican leaders his biggest defenders on trade, and
rank-and-file Democrats his biggest foes.
The "fast-track" power, known as Trade Promotion Authority, would give the
president the authority to negotiate trade deals that Congress could approve
or reject, but not amend. Obama hoped to use the authority to complete a
sweeping pact with 11 other Pacific Rim nations which would constitute the
economic centerpiece of his second term.
Obama says such a pact with Japan, Mexico, Singapore and other nations
constituting 40 percent of the global economy would open up critical new
markets for American products.
What comes next is unclear.
Republicans continued to stand in Obama's corner on Friday.
"Is America going to shape the global economy, or is it going to shape us?"
said Rep. Paul Ryan, the Wisconsin Republican who is head of the House Ways
and Means Committee and a GOP pointman on an issue that scrambled the normal
party alignment in divided government.
But Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., countered that the legislation heading
toward a showdown vote included "no meaningful protections whatever against
currency manipulation" by some of America's trading partners, whose actions
he said have "ruined millions of middle class jobs." |
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