The White House made clear on Wednesday that it expects House Democrats to get on board with a bill granting President Obama “Fast Track” authority to negotiate trade deals by insisting that Congress ultimately pass both “Fast Track” and an extension of trade adjustment assistance to workers who lose their jobs due to trade.
“I think we’ve been clear that the only legislative strategy the president will support is one that results in both TAA and TPA coming to his desk,” White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on Wednesday. Later, he said passing both will mean both Republicans and Democrats will have to support these bills.
That’s mostly a call to Democrats that they need to support TAA. Democrats blocked passage of a TAA bill last week in order to stop TPA, which most of them oppose. Democrats generally don’t support trade deals, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal that would expand trade with several Asian nations.
Reports out of Capitol Hill indicate that House GOP leaders are thinking of sending a “Fast Track”-only bill to the floor, after which the Senate would then move to attach TAA to another bill, and hope it passes that way. However it’s done, Earnest said both provisions are needed.
“The next step is making sure that TAA is included in this package,” Earnest said.
Earnest sent the message just hours before members of Congress, including House Democrats, were set to arrive at the White House for an annual picnic. The White House hasn’t confirmed that House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will attend but Earnest said that her relationship with Obama can withstand this disagreement over trade.
“The strength of [Pelosi’s and congressional Democrats’] professional and personal relationship is more than strong enough to overcome a difference of a opinion,” Earnest said.
Obama is also scheduled to fundraise with the San Francisco Democrat in her hometown on Friday.
Earnest dismissed the notion that Obama could be put in a position to have to veto TPA legislation on its own. “It won’t come to that,” he said.
