Obama Predicts Imminent Wrap-up of TPP Talks, but Warns of Tough Legislative Fight
The top trade officials from Trans-Pacific Partnership countries will likely meet "sometime in the next several weeks" to hammer out the final outstanding issues in the pact, President Barack Obama told an audience at the Business Roundtable on Sept. 16. A conclusion to the talks could come by the end of the year, Obama said. "They have the opportunity to close the deal. Most chapters have been completed at this point," he said. The 12 negotiating partners failed to lock down a deal in Maui at the end of July, but advocates touted significant progress (see 1508100011).
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Obama praised Republican leaders in Congress for their commitment and strategy in tackling trade legislation, but he cautioned that congressional approval of a Trans-Pacific Partnership bill is far from certain. Americans continue to view trade with skepticism due to a legacy of displaced labor and manufacturing losses, said Obama. TPP will instead include environmental and labor provisions that safeguard the U.S. workforce, he said.
Those statements echo the message Obama pushed while trying to urge lawmakers to support Trade Promotion Authority earlier in the year (see 1505100003). “I didn’t fully persuade all my Democratic colleagues, because the politics are tough,” Obama said on Sept. 16. “To their credit, both [Senate Majority Leader] Mitch McConnell and [House Speaker] John Boehner I think are on the right program here, but they’re going to need some help potentially with their membership, because the closer we get to political season, the tighter some of these votes get.”
The Senate passed TPA, which is arguably a precursor to TPP, 60-38 with 13 Democrats in support (see 1506250019). The House passed the bill 218-208 with 28 supporting Democrats and 50 opposing Republicans (see 1506180025). TPP parties continue to negotiate customs and trade facilitation measures in TPP, said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently (see 1509080024).