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 The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Obama's 12-nation pact,
encompasses 40 percent of the global economy and is close to
completion. It would be greatly advanced if Congress gives him "fast
track" authority for it.
That question is expected to culminate in a very close vote in the
House of Representatives, which has been wrestling with fast-track
for weeks. The Senate has already backed it.
Fast-track authority would let lawmakers set negotiating objectives
for trade deals, such as the TPP, but restrict them to only a
yes-or-no vote on the finished agreement.
With a legacy-defining achievement on the line for Obama, House
approval of fast-track would boost his hopes for a swift completion
of the TPP, which would harmonize trading standards and lower trade
barriers among the signatory countries.
Rejection by the House of fast-track, or of a companion measure
meant to aid workers hurt by trade, would be a massive blow to
Obama. He has lobbied hard to win over skeptical Democrats and
forged an unusual alliance with the Republicans who control
Congress.
 "We're expecting two close votes, probably two nailbiters," said
Gabe Horwitz, economics director at the centrist Democratic think
tank Third Way, who expects both measures to pass.
House Speaker John Boehner, a Republican, declined to guarantee
victory but said he had worked to address concerns raised by both
sides.
"I'm encouraged. We've had good discussions this week on a
bipartisan basis," he told reporters. Although some Republicans
are likely to oppose fast-track, the party has 246 House seats,
meaning it could lose 28 votes and still cross the 218-vote
threshold needed for passage.
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A Democratic aide said 26 Democrats were ready to vote "yes," with
another four leaning that way. Vote counters are betting that level
of Democratic support will be enough to compensate for any weakness
on the Republican side.
The trade debate has pitted business groups and iconic U.S. brands
such as Nike Inc <NKE.N> against environmental and consumer groups
and unions. In an unusual move and a sign of the severity of the
opposition, the unions are also lobbying against the worker aid
program, an issue dear to many Democrats.
Democrat Jan Schakowsky, who hails from Obama's hometown of Chicago
and was an early supporter of his 2008 run for the White House, said
some Democrats were willing to see the worker aid program die if it
means stopping fast-track and the TPP.
"There are plenty of those who feel that's not such a bad price to
pay for saving American jobs," said Schakowsky, a trade skeptic.
(Additional reporting by David Lawder and Susan Cornwell; Editing by
Kevin Drawbaugh and Richard Chang)
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