The National Association of Manufacturers officially endorsed the Trans-Pacific Partnership Monday, and urged Congress to quickly approve the proposed 12-nation trade deal.
TPP faces a tough road in Congress, as Republican leaders have warned it may not be possible to bring it up for a vote until later after the fall election, and many Republicans oppose the deal as it stands now. The trade association noted its own problems with the deal, which would lower tariffs and other trade barriers between the U.S., Japan and 10 other Pacific Rim nations, but urged lawmakers to affirm it nevertheless.
“We recognize this agreement is not perfect, and there are some principled objections to the TPP, so the NAM will continue to work closely with its members to address remaining barriers, to raise standards, to promote the rule of law and to further level the playing field for all. Importantly, we encourage the administration to work closely with the industry, congressional leaders and the other TPP governments to address these key issues,” said NAM President Jay Timmons.
Though negotiated by President Obama’s administration, the proposed deal faces considerable opposition from Democrats. Key constituency groups like environmentalist groups and organized labor are lobbying heavily against it, and say it would hurt U.S. workers and the environment. Both of the top Democratic candidates to replace Obama, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., are opposed.
That has put Obama in the unusual position of relying on Republican support to pass the deal. But Republican objections are significant too, and last month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who backs the deal, said it was too volatile an issue to bring up until after the election.
Business trade groups, usually the strongest backers on trade bills, have been notably less than enthusiastic and are worried about the details in TPP. On Monday, NAM said it had decided to back the deal after “careful analysis.”
“Open markets encourage cooperation and prosperity among nations and governments, rather than conflict, and the NAM has a long and proud history of promoting free and fair trade,” Timmons said.
