President Obama headed to the Capitol Friday morning to make a last-minute pitch to House Democrats ahead of a critical trade vote, a Democratic aide said.
At stake is whether Congress will agree to give Obama the power to negotiate expedited trade agreements that can’t be amended by Congress. It’s seen as a legacy vote for Obama, who hopes to use that authority to finish trade agreements in Europe and Asia.
But the vote is in trouble because most Democrats still oppose any expanded trade agenda, and many Republicans who might normally support trade don’t want to give Obama any new authority, in any area.
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Obama was set to meet with Democrats to seek additional votes for the package, and the House recessed at 9:45 a.m. so that meeting could take place. Because of this meeting, votes that were supposed to start before noon were expected to take place shortly after noon.
As of late this week, only about 20 Democrats were expected to support the bill giving Obama trade negotiating authority, and Republicans have said Obama needs to get more support from his only party to ensure passage. A few dozen Democrats were still undecided, which means there’s room for Obama to make some progress with Democratic members Friday morning.
The House is planning votes on two bills before noon: one that would provide aid to workers who are displaced by trade, and the trade negotiating authority bill, known as TPA or “Fast Track.” The first bill, known as the trade adjustment assistance act, is supported by Democrats, and if it passes, that’s expected to allow enough Democrats to support the bill giving Obama fast track.
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Obama’s presence in the Capitol shows just how close the vote is expected to be. On Thursday, the package was just barely able to advance in the House, after eight pro-trade Democrats supported the legislation at the last minute.
Obama also made a surprise visit to lawmakers Thursday night as they played in the annual GOP-Democrat charity baseball game. The Democrats won that game 5-2.
