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[h=4]Democratic revolt sidelines Obama trade agenda[/h]House Democrats revolted Friday against President Obama, voting down legislation they historically support in a tactical move to slow down efforts to renew "fast track" trade authority.
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The House blocked a vote on sending President Barack Obama his fast-track trade bill, handing him an embarrassing defeat on a second-term priority just hours after he made a rare visit to Capitol Hill to seek their support. Bloomberg
President Obama and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi exit a meeting with House Democrats at the U.S. Capitol on June 12, 2015.(Photo: Mandel Ngan, AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — House Democrats revolted Friday against President Obama, voting down legislation they historically support in a tactical move to slow down efforts to renew "fast track" trade authority.
"The overwhelming vote today is a clear indication that it's time for Republicans to sit down with Democrats to negotiate a trade promotion authority bill that is a better deal for the American people," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., wrote to her Democratic colleagues following the votes.
USA TODAY
First take: Can Obama's trade deal be salvaged?
Pelosi, who had remained neutral in the weeks leading up to the vote, announced on the floor she would oppose trade adjustment assistance (TAA) and the subsequent vote on trade promotion authority (TPA), commonly known as fast track. The moment marked a rare divide between Obama and Pelosi on a major policy issue.
TAA failed 126-302, but TPA passed 219-211. The mixed results left pro-trade lawmakers scrambling to find a way to salvage Obama's trade agenda. The votes were structured so TPA could not advance without TAA approval.
"This isn't over yet," said Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., the lead Republican on the trade bills.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest touted the affirmative vote for fast track and said TAA's failure was a "snafu" the president would seek to resolve. "These kinds of entanglements are endemic to the House of Representatives," he said.
GOP leaders could try again to pass TAA by Tuesday under the current rules of debate, but no decisions had been made by Friday afternoon. "This is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to take stock and move forward in a constructive fashion on behalf of the American people," House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said.
Democrats would need a big change of heart by early next week in order to do so, as TAA needs almost 100 additional votes to pass.
The Senate had already approved both measures last month. House passage of TAA is crucial to advancing fast track.
Obama is seeking the renewed authority, which creates an expedited process to move trade bills through Congress, in order to finalize negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation pact between the U.S. and Asia-Pacific nations.
Obama, who made a rare appearance on Capitol Hill Friday morning, apparently did little to assuage Democratic concerns, particularly in the face of significant opposition from labor unions and liberal activist groups.
USA TODAY
At ballgame, Obama goes to bat for free trade deal
"I don't think you ever nail anything down around here. It's always moving," Obama said to reporters as he left the hour-long huddle.
"It didn't change my mind, but I got a better picture of how (Obama) thinks and how he sees it all coming together," said Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., following the meeting.
Liberal groups cheered the outcome. "Millions of Americans spoke out passionately, and though the fight isn't over, we've just seen a real setback for "fast track" authority on (TPP)," said Anna Galland, executive director of MoveOn.org.
GOP leaders had been cautiously optimistic that a final push by Obama would help secure enough Democratic votes to pass both bills. Only 40 Democrats voted for TAA, and 28 Democrats voted for TPA, which passed on the strength of GOP support.
"As a Democrat who has supported this administration, I wonder why we don't have a modicum of trust in this president to get out and get a good deal," said pro-trade Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.
TAA has been historically opposed by the GOP, but it's passage was vital in order to get TPA approved. While Democrats support TAA as a federal assistance program, there remained a number of concerns about the bill, including how it was offset and an effort to extend TAA to public sector employees.
TAA is set to expire Sept. 30, a factor which Obama's supporters hope will ultimately get Democrats on board. "If Democrats want to make sure that we're looking out for the interests of middle class families, we need to make sure that (TAA) doesn't lapse," Earnest said.
Lawmakers debated the merits of trade on the U.S. economy throughout the day Friday.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Molly Riley, AP)
"In the global economy, if you are standing still, you are falling behind," Ryan said.
According to Ryan, 100 trade agreements have been negotiated or signed since TPA expired in 2007. China is currently negotiating seven trade pacts. "The U.S. is party to none of those," he said.
Rep. Sander Levin, D-Mich., the top Democrat on Ways and Means, echoed broad complaints against TPA, including that it had no provisions to crack down on China's currency manipulation and provisions that opponents said could weaken access to medicines and environmental protections. "These objectives are so vague they are meaningless," he said.
"A 'no' vote will give us another opportunity to approve TAA and TPA," he said, "That's the goal: a strong TPP agreement that can gain strong, bipartisan support."
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