Top Republican lawmakers whose support is crucial to the passage of the just-completed 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership deal expressed strong skepticism about the trade pact Monday.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, described it as falling “woefully short,” while the leaders of the House and Senate Republicans did not endorse it, saying further review was necessary.
The deal would lower tariffs and other trade barriers among the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim countries accounting for 40 percent of the world economy. Negotiations were concluded Monday, and President Obama is eager for Congress to approve the deal. The president will need strong GOP support due to opposition from trade-skeptic Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, issued separate statements saying they strongly backed free trade but pointedly not saying whether the deal embodies that. Both noted that Congress would have 60 days to review the deal before any vote under the terms of the recently passed Trade Promotion Authority bill.
“This deal demands intense scrutiny by Congress, and the legislation we passed earlier this year provides us the opportunity to give this agreement that scrutiny. In the months ahead, the Senate will review this agreement to determine if it meets the high standards Congress and the American people have demanded,” McConnell said.
Boehner was even more circumspect, issuing a three-sentence statement that briefly referred to the trade deal itself and concluded with, “Congress must ensure [the deal] meets the highest standards before moving forward.”
Hatch indicated that he was leaning against the legislation. “While the details are still emerging, unfortunately I am afraid this deal appears to fall woefully short,” he said. However, he did not rule out supporting it, either, saying he will examine it over the next few weeks.
The last major trade legislation to pass through Congress, Trade Promotion Authority, did so with strong Democratic opposition. The bill passed the Senate in June on a 60-38 vote, with only 13 Democrats backing the president. It passed the House the same month in a 218-208 vote, with only 28 Democrats backing it.
The authority prohibits Congress from amending any trade deal, limiting it to a strict up or down vote. Passage of that legislation was widely seen as a prerequisite for the Trans-Pacific Partnership’s approval. Trade critics such as Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., noted to reporters Monday that opponents fell just one vote short in the Senate from successfully filibustering the legislation.
