President Obama walks with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, as he visits Capitol Hill on Friday. Carolyn Kaster/AP hide caption
itoggle caption Carolyn Kaster/AP
Dealing a big blow to President Obama’s agenda, the House of Representatives failed to pass a key element of a package of bills that would have given Obama the ability to fast-track a trade deal with Pacific-Rim nations.
In a sign of just how important the bill was for the White House, President Obama made a rare personal visit to the U.S. Capitol to lobby for the bill. But his overtures proved insufficient.
The House began by voting on a bill that would provide funding for training Americans who would lose their jobs because of the trade deal. When that bill failed by a wide margin, it became clear that the bill giving Obama fast-track powers is also in jeopardy.
The White House had made the case that the president needed fast-track authority to put the finishing touches on the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which some analysts believe would be the most significant international trade deal in decades.
Critics of the deal — including a large contingent of Obama’s own caucus — are opposed to it partly because they believe it will drive American jobs overseas.
Just how contentious is this issue? Right before the House voted on the Trade Adjustment Assistance bill, House Minority Leader and Obama ally Nancy Pelosi said she would not vote in favor of it.
She said this trade deal was not a good deal for American workers and she would not accept giving up the power to make amendments to the trade deal crafted by Obama.
“I will be voting to slow down the fast track,” Pelosi said.
NPR’s Marilyn Geewax will be live-tweeting the action. We’ve embedded her tweets below:
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