White House works with Republicans to resuscitate trade deal

New vote on TPA is expected today as part of a trade package that includes Trade Adjustment Assistance, which was voted down in the House last week.    President Obama’s trade agenda suffered a serious setback last Friday when Congress failed to approve fast-track negotiating authority for free trade agreements, but congressional leaders are working on a new legislative package intended to sway enough Democratic votes so that he can finish negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
   House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday issued a joint statement saying they want to get legislation for Trade Promotion Authority and Trade Adjustment Assistance passed as soon as possible.
   According to Politico, the White House and the two Republican leaders are engaging in arm twisting to get a different result in the next vote. Under the new plan, the House is likely to vote today on TPA and then the Senate would try to get enough Democrats to support passage. The Senate would then amend the recently passed TAA bill, which provides job retraining and other assistance to workers who lose their jobs because of trade-related outsourcing.
   House Democrats shot down TAA, even though it’s a program that most support, as a way to derail the TPA legislation. The two bills were linked by a previous Senate vote, meaning that both must pass in the House in order to be sent to the president for approval.
   Many liberal Democrats claim the TPP is no different than other recent trade deals, such as NAFTA, that they claim have cost American jobs. Supporters say the TPP has protections for labor, the environment and human rights, along with much stronger enforcement mechanisms, so that low-cost countries can’t simply gain trade at the U.S. expense by cutting corners.