White House developing legislative strategy to pass Pacific trade deal

The White House is developing a plan to pass a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal in Congress this year. 

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Thursday that Obama administration officials have been in touch with congressional Democrats and Republicans who are supportive of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to “develop a legislative strategy for moving forward.”

{mosads}“We’re going to continue to consult about the best path forward, and we would like to see Congress act soon to approve the agreement,” Earnest told reporters.

Earnest said that the White House is pushing for a vote in Congress before the lame-duck session after the November elections.

“And the case that we have made is consistent with the argument that the Chamber of Commerce and other influential Republican-leaning organizations have made, which is that every day that goes by is a missed opportunity for American businesses and American workers to benefit from this agreement,” he said.

But the TPP’s chances of passing this year look increasingly difficult amid anti-trade rhetoric from all three presidential candidates. 

The White House also must resolve several issues with lawmakers on high-tech medicines, tobacco and financial services to get the go-ahead to move ahead on Capitol Hill.

U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said Thursday that the Obama administration is in consultation with Congress to work through various procedures with congressional leaders and committees to determine the best timetable.

“Both Leader [Mitch] McConnell and Speaker [Paul] Ryan have indicated on a number of occasions that they believe an agreement like this would be in the best interest of the United States and our economy,” Earnest said.

“So it certainly makes sense that we would coordinate with them, even at the highest levels, on the path for legislative approval,” he said.

Talks are ongoing with individual members to address their concerns and resolve a handful of issues, Froman said in a call with reporters about President Obama’s upcoming trip to Vietnam and Japan, two of 12 TPP nations, according to Froman. 

The White House is accelerating the implementation process with the 11 other countries ahead of ratification votes to provide additional assurances to Congress that all of the participating countries will take the legislative steps they need to comply with the TPP’s framework, Froman said. 

Normally, he said, that process is on hold until after ratification. But TPP countries agreed during recent meetings in Peru this week to speed up the process and begin passing the needed legislation to get ready for implementation. 

President Obama leaves Saturday for a weeklong swing through Vietnam and Japan, where he will attend the Group of 7 meeting, and is expected to discuss the global economy and the importance of the TPP agreement with the leaders of each nation. 

Froman said that Vietnam will have to take steps to raise its minimum wage and allow independent unions as part of participating in the TPP or face a loss of access to the U.S. market.

Vietnam’s participation in the TPP is the “next phase in the economic relationship that has been growing for two decades with the United States,” Froman said.