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A raging battle over President Barack Obama's request for
"fast-track" authority central to improving U.S. ties with Asia resumes
in the House of Representatives next week when lawmakers are expected to try to
reverse Friday's defeat of linchpin trade legislation.
House Democrats disregarded Obama's personal pleas and teamed up with
Republicans, for different reasons, to overwhelmingly defeat a program that
helps American workers who lose their jobs as a result of trade deals.
Supporters were heartened, however, when the House narrowly approved a
separate measure to give Obama "fast-track" authority to negotiate
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. But the legislation is stuck in
the House because of the defeat Obama and House Speaker John Boehner suffered
on the first vote.
Both measures are included in one bill and both need to be approved
before the legislation can clear the House.
A House Republican aide told reporters Republican leaders hope to stage
a vote again on Tuesday to pass the worker aid portion of the bill. That would
allow the entire bill to be signed into law by Obama, but its chances were
unclear.
In Japan on Saturday, Economy Minister Akira Amari held out hope the
trade legislation could be revived.
"The fastest schedule for reaching a broad agreement at the
ministerial level has become more difficult," Amari told a news conference
hours after the vote in the U.S. House of Representatives. "We don't need
to be too pessimistic. We'll closely watch the efforts in the U.S.
Congress."
Obama, who made a last-ditch personal appeal to congressional Democrats
to support the worker aid program, urged lawmakers to get behind the twin
initiatives.
"New trade agreements should go hand in hand with support to
American workers who’ve been harmed by trade in the past," he said in a
statement, noting the program helps about 100,000 workers per year.
Republican Steve Scalise, a member of the House leadership team, said
the president had to work with recalcitrant Democrats to get the numbers for
the program.
"They took a hostage that they might realize now they can't afford
to shoot," he said.
