|
 A compromise between Republicans and Democrats would set up
another procedural vote on "fast-track" trade authority crucial to
the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact, including aid for workers
who lose their jobs due to trade. The first such procedural vote
failed on Tuesday.
Two other trade bills, a customs bill including rules against
currency manipulation and one extending African trade benefits,
would be considered separately - but cannot be amended, and need to
win 60 votes for passage in the 100-member Senate.
If Thursday's procedural vote on fast-track authority succeeds, it
sets up a full debate next week on the legislation, which is a key
part of President Barack Obama's pivot to counter China's rising
economic and diplomatic clout in Asia.
The authority would be twinned with the relatively uncontroversial
worker assistance program, designed to help those who may lose their
jobs due to expanded trade.
 "The plan ... will provide our Democratic colleagues with a way
forward without killing the bill," Senate Majority Leader Mitch
McConnell of Kentucky said on the Senate floor after 24 hours of
negotiations to break the impasse.
On Tuesday, all but one of the Senate's 44 Democrats teamed up to
block debate on the legislation, amid concerns about the impact of
the proposed 12-nation TPP on U.S. workers.
Democrats also want legislation to punish countries that
artificially reduce the value of their currencies by mandating
import duties to offset any boost to competitiveness. That approach
has been tried several times before but never won the necessary
congressional support.
The move is backed by some Republicans but opposed by the White
House, which has warned that such rules could breach international
trade laws and open the United States to retaliation.
The customs bill contains a second measure to bar currency
manipulators from U.S. trade deals and government procurement, which
the White House supports.
Two Democratic aides said they were optimistic the customs bill
could pass.
But Republican John Thune of South Dakota, a member of the Senate
leadership team, said opening the door to import duties was a tough
request.
[to top of second column] |
"If it has currency manipulation attached to it, it makes it a
harder lift," he told reporters.
Even if the currency manipulation measure is approved, there were no
assurances that the House of Representatives would approve it.
FAST TRACK PITS OBAMA AGAINST WARREN
Under fast-track, Congress can approve or reject - but not amend -
trade deals negotiated by the administration, including the TPP, a
potential legacy-defining achievement for Obama.
The battle over trade has exposed rifts between Obama and Senator
Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a prominent leader of the party's
left wing.
There is a risk that if the Democratic spat continues, it could draw
in presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton, who supported the
Trans-Pacific Partnership when in office but who has gone silent on
the issue during the current debate.
Negotiations on the TPP are nearly complete, but trading partners
have said they want to see fast-track legislation enacted before
finalizing the pact, which would stretch from Japan to Chile.
The pact would be the biggest trade deal since the North American
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) liberalized business between the United
States, Canada and Mexico.
(Reporting by Richard Cowan, Susan Cornwell and Krista Hughes;
Editing by Will Dunham, Alan Crosby, Steve Orlofsky and Jonathan
Oatis)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
