After a bruising and embarrassing defeat less than two weeks ago, President Barack Obama appears on track to get his trade agenda approved on Capitol Hill.
House Democrats led by Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi are the final hurdle, and after abandoning him in droves to try to defeat the fast track bill, have said they’re now on board to pass the final component.
Pelosi, whose high profile break with the President helped defeat his trade package in its initial House vote, announced Wednesday she will now vote for a bill providing assistance to workers displaced by global trade, known as trade adjustment assistance or TAA.
In a letter to her House Democratic colleagues, Pelosi said “I’m disappointed that the TAA bill isn’t nearly as robust as it should be in light of a trade agreement that encompasses 40 percent of the global economy.” But she added she would support it “because it can open the door to a full debate on TPP [broader trade deal].”
The Senate is scheduled to vote on both the fast track bill (TPA) and TAA on Wednesday. The House already passed TPA, so it is expected to vote on TAA on Thursday. The President has insisted he wants both bills.
Pelosi’s support is significant because the measure will need significant Democratic support because most Republicans oppose it.