Just hours after House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., helped sink President Obama’s trade agenda, she indicated that more Democrats might be willing to support trade if Congress passed a long-term highway funding bill.
“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,” Pelosi said in a statement.
“The prospects for passage of a such a bill will greatly increase with the passage of a robust highway bill,” she added.
Democrats have been demanding a long-term highway bill for the last several months, but it’s unlikely that Republicans would do that favor for her just to secure more votes on trade. Most importantly, Republicans are split on how to find funding for a highway bill.
Early Friday afternoon, the House actually passed part a bill to give Obama Trade Promotion Authority, or TPA. But the bill still didn’t formally pass the House, because it was tied language authorizing trade adjustment assistance (TAA) to workers who lose their jobs because of trade.
While most Democrats support TAA generally, most voted against it as part of a plan to hold up the TPA bill.
Pelosi’s comments after the vote recognize that until TAA passes, TPA is still stuck in the House. They also suggest that Democrats will keep that bill stuck in the House until a highway bill passes, or if changes are made to the TPA bill and it gets another vote.
“We look forward to working in a bipartisan way for a trade promotion authority bill that has better transparency, more consultation with Congress and stronger protections for congressional priorities – especially labor rights and the environment,” she said.
