Fast Track Trade Bill Clears House Committee, Faces Challenges Ahead

Strategic Insights -

The approval of the fast track trade legislation in the House Ways & Means Committee has marked a win for the Obama administration, which is allied with Republican leadership in supporting the measure. However, the bitter dispute in the committee highlighted the headwinds the legislation faces on the floor of the House of Representatives, where the administration is seeking to recruit a small but crucial cadre of Democratic votes. The bill, also known as trade promotion authority, would ease passage of the sweeping Pacific trade deal, known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which the administration is negotiating with Japan and 10 other nations.

Key Takeaways:

  • The fast track trade bill cleared the House Ways & Means Committee on a 25-13 vote, with two Democrats joining Republicans in support.
  • Rep. Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) used a little-known House rule to bar a committee vote on an alternative version of fast track that was brought by Rep. Sander Levin (D., Mich.).
  • Levin's proposal, which sought to retain greater leverage for Congress in the Pacific deal, was immediately embraced by Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) but was blocked by Ryan, citing a technical objection based on the jurisdiction of House committees.
  • Thea Lee, deputy chief of staff at the AFL-CIO, called Ryan's move an "abuse of power," highlighting the opposition from labor unions to the fast-track bill.
  • The administration and Republican leaders are seeking to enact fast track as soon as possible to clinch a TPP agreement before the presidential campaign season further complicates the politics of trade.
  • Business groups, environmental organizations, and some conservative groups are working to block the TPP and fast track, citing potential job losses and concerns about labor and environmental conditions in Vietnam and other TPP countries.

Statistics:

  • 25-13: The vote in favor of the fast track trade legislation in the House Ways & Means Committee.
  • 20-6: The vote in favor of fast track in the Senate Finance Committee.
  • 2: The number of Democrats who joined Republicans in supporting the fast track bill in the House committee.
  • 10: The number of nations, including Japan, that the United States is negotiating a trade deal with in the TPP.

Sources:

  • "Major Trade Bill Favored by Obama Clears Hurdle in House Committee" by a New York Times reporter. May 14, 2015
  • "Ryan Blocks Levin's Alternative to Obama Trade Bill" by a New York Times reporter. May 14, 2015
  • "Fast Track Trade Bill Advances Despite Labour's Complaints" by an AFP reporter. May 14, 2015
  • "Obama's Pacific Trade Deal Faces Senate Vote" by a Bloomberg reporter. May 13, 2015