The House on Thursday voted to advance legislation to give President Barack Obama fast track authority to negotiate a mammoth Pacific trade deal, reviving the prospects for Obama to achieve a key element of his agenda.
The bill, known as TPA, passed by a razor-thin 10-vote margin, with 28 Democrats joining all but 50 Republicans to send the bill to the Senate.
The Senate is expected to vote next week on the legislation, when it is also expected to take up a trade assistance measure aimed at winning over Democrats in a separate vote.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi expressed skepticism that ultimately a bill to help workers displaced by trade would be approved, telling reporters, I don’t see a path right now for TAA.”
But Rep Steve Israel, D-New York, a member of Pelosi’s leadership team, said he can’t imagine fellow Democrats, after fast track legislation has already passed, would defeat a program to help a program giving aide to those who will need it.
“That is the quintessential cutting of our noses to spite our face. And it’s not cutting off our noses — it’s cutting off the noses of working people,” Israel said. He said he planned to vote for TAA, even though he voted against the fast track bill.
Thursday’s vote came less than a week after House Democrats, in a stunning rebuke to the President, torpedoed the legislation by voting down the trade assistance bill that was tethered to TPA.
Now, House and Senate Republican leaders will look to pass both components in separate votes to give Obama the authority and confidence to negotiate a free trade agreement with a dozen countries on the Pacific Rim.
The votes haven’t been without high drama as Pelosi broke with Obama to lead Democrats against the trade authority package last week — she tried on Thursday to downplay the riff between her and House Democrats.
“We have a deep relationship of trust with the President, Pelosi said.
Without Pelosi and most Democrats, Republican leaders have found themselves in the strange position of helping Obama secure a key component of his legacy.
It’s that roller coaster of events that prompted House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday to call the events of the last few weeks “close to bizarre.”
Israel told reporters “we need to get off this topic,” saying the internal warfare among Democrats over trade is marginalizing the party and its prospects in the next election.
“Right now what are doing is devouring each other and if I were the Republicans I would be enjoying every minute of this.” Israel said.
