Obama, McConnell Target Trade as Means to Bridge Partisan Gap
President Barack Obama pledged on Nov. 5 to work with Republicans to boost exports and liberalize Asian markets during the final two years of his tenure as president, in a clear hint at efforts to close the Trans-Pacific Partnership (here). Republicans steamrolled the Democratic field the day before, registering significant gains in both the House and Senate. Obama said he would be focusing on those objectives during the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Partnership meetings, although a senior U.S. trade official on Nov. 5 dismissed the prospect of closing a TPP deal in Beijing, the site of the APEC summit.
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the likely majority leader in the chamber after the next Congress takes its seat in January, echoed those comments in a press conference shortly after Obama spoke to reporters. McConnell told a press conference at the University of Louisville that trade and tax reform are the two primary targets for bipartisan collaboration. “Most of his party is unenthusiastic about international trade. We think it’s good for America,” said McConnell (here). “And so I’ve got a lot of members who believe that international trade agreements are a winner for America, and the president and I discussed that right before I came over here. I think he’s interested in moving forward. I said, ‘send us the trade agreements.’ We’re anxious to take a look at them.”
McConnell also vowed to fundamentally change the way the Senate is run as the next majority leader, saying he will allow members to regularly vote on amendments, but the chamber may be “occasionally burning the midnight oil” under his leadership. He also pledged to restore relevance and authority to committees in the chamber. The Senate will vote for majority leader in the coming days, but McConnell is widely expected to take the reins. Obama also said the two sides could come together to improve infrastructure nationwide.