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The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: Legislation
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Legislation regarding the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal created unlikely alliances on Capitol Hill. President Barack Obama (D) and two of his longtime opponents and critics, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and former Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-Ohio), worked together to convince Congress that the TPP was a strong trade deal that would help American workers.
| "The President Signs Bills that Modernize U.S. Trade Policy," June 29, 2015. |
Together, they were able to get trade promotion authority (TPA), also known as fast-track authority, passed. TPA gives the president the ability to negotiate trade deals and requires Congress to cast a simple up or down vote on a deal without amendments or filibustering. Obama argued that TPA would help ease the passage of the TPP, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)—a trade deal with the European Union—and future trade deals. Congress also passed trade adjustment assistance (TAA), which provided American workers who lost jobs due to globalization with employment-related assistance. Obama signed TPA and TAA into law on June 29, 2015.[1]
Legislation introduced by Congress regarding the trade deal is summarized below.
Legislation
S 995 and HR 1890 - the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015
On April 16, 2015, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced S 995 - the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015. The following day Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) introduced HR 1890 - the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015. HR 1314 was used as a legislative vehicle for the proposed trade legislation with the titles "Trade Act of 2015" and the "Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015." The bills proposed the following:[2][3]
- Stating overall trade negotiating objectives and the principal trade negotiating objectives of the United States.
- Trade Agreements Authority: Authorizing "the President to enter into trade agreements with foreign countries for the reduction or elimination of tariff or nontariff barriers." The president would have this authority through July 1, 2018, and it could be extended until July 1, 2021.
- Subjecting "trade agreements to congressional oversight and approval, consultations, and access to information requirements."
- Requiring the president to notify Congress and the American people of the intent to enter a trade agreement at least 90 days before entering the agreement, submit the text of a trade agreement for review at least 60 days before entering into an agreement and release the final text of the agreement for public viewing.
- Including small businesses in the trade negotiation process.
HR 1314 - the Trade Act of 2015
On March 4, 2014, Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.) introduced HR 1314 - the Trade Act of 2015. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority and extending trade adjustment assistance.[4]
On June 12, 2015, the House conducted a bifurcated vote of the bill. The first measure to authorize TAA failed 126-302.[5] Although the trade adjustment assistance program, which provided assistance to unemployed American workers impacted by foreign trade, was generally supported by Democrats prior to the introduction of this legislation, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) discouraged her caucus from voting in favor of the measure as a way to halt TPA.[6] Only forty Democrats voted in favor of TAA.[5] Since TAA was packaged with TPA in a single bill, one could be enacted without the other in this form. A token vote was still held for TPA and it narrowly passed in the House, 219-211.[7]
HR 2146 - the Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act
On April 30, 2015, Rep. David Reichert (R-Wash.) introduced HR 2146 - the Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. The bill proposed giving the president trade promotion authority (TPA) and amending the "Internal Revenue Code, with respect to the exemption from the 10% penalty tax on early distributions from a government retirement plan for qualified public safety employees who have reached age 50, to expand the exemption to include specified federal law enforcement officers, customs and border protection officers, federal firefighters, and air traffic controllers who similarly have reached age 50."[8]
On June 18, 2015, the House voted to authorize TPA alone as an amendment to HR 2146 by a vote of 218-208, with all voting members of the House maintaining his or her original position on TPA except for Ted Yoho (R-Fla.).[9][10] The Senate passed this stand-alone TPA legislation on June 24, 2015, by a vote of 60-38.[11]
Legislation timeline
- June 29, 2015: President Barack Obama signed trade promotion authority and trade adjustment assistance into law.[12]
- June 24, 2015: The Senate voted in favor of stand-alone TPA legislation attached to HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act by a vote of 60-38.[13]
- June 18, 2015: The House of Representatives voted to authorize TPA alone as an amendment to HR 2146 - Defending Public Safety Employees' Retirement Act. The bill passed by a vote of 218-208, with all but one voting member of the House maintaining his or her original position on TPA.[14][15]
- June 12, 2015: The House of Representatives conducted a bifurcated vote of HR 1314. The first measure to authorize trade adjustment assistance failed by a vote of 126-302, and the second measure to grant fast-track authority to the president passed by a vote of 219-211. The House agreed to a motion to reconsider TAA.[5][7][16]
- May 22, 2015: The Senate used HR 1314 as a legislative vehicle to pass trade legislation by a vote of 62-37.[17][18]
- May 21, 2015: The United States Senate voted for a motion to proceed to the trade bill by a vote of 62-38.[19]
- May 14, 2015: After Republicans cut a deal with Democrats and agreed to vote on HR 1295 - An act to extend the African Growth and Opportunity Act and HR 644 - An act to reauthorize trade facilitation and trade enforcement functions and activities, the Senate voted in favor of proceeding to the trade bill by a vote of 65-33.[20]
- May 12, 2015: The United States Senate voted against a motion to proceed to the trade bill by a vote of 52-45. Sen. Tom Carper (Del.) was the only Democrat who voted with Republicans in favor of the motion.[21]
- April 23, 2015: The House Ways and Means Committee approved HR 1890 by a vote of 25-13. Democratic Reps. Ron Kind (Wis.) and Earl Blumenauer (Ore.) voted with Republicans to approve the measure.[22]
- April 22, 2015: The Senate Finance Committee approved S 995 by a vote of 20-6. The following Democratic senators voted to approve the bill: Ron Wyden (Ore.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Bill Nelson (Fla.), Tom Carper (Del.), Ben Cardin (Md.), Michael Bennet (Colo.) and Mark Warner (Va.). Richard Burr (N.C.) was the only Republican who voted against the bill.[23]
See also
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: An overview
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: Public opinion on TPP and T-TIP
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: Summary of the TPP
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: Human trafficking concerns
- 2016 presidential candidates on the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: Opposition
- The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal: Understanding trade terminology
- The Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership
- Currency manipulation
- Trade promotion authority (TPA)
- Trade adjustment assistance (TAA)
- North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
- Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS)
- Michael Froman
External links
- Office of the United States Trade Representative, "Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP)"
- Office of the United States Trade Representative, "Outlines of TPP"
Footnotes
- ↑ The White House, "On Trade, Here’s What the President Signed into Law," June 29, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "S 995 - the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," accessed May 14, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "HR1890 - the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015," accessed May 14, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 1314," accessed September 6, 2015
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Clerk of the House of Representatives, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 361," accessed June 12, 2015
- ↑ The Hill, "House deals humiliating blow to Obama in trade fight," June 12, 2015
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Clerk of the House of Representatives, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 362," accessed June 12, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 2146," accessed September 6, 2015
- ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 374," June 18, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Trade turnaround: House backs new power for Obama," June 18, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Roll Call for HR 2146," accessed June 30, 2015
- ↑ The White House, "On Trade, Here’s What the President Signed into Law," June 29, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "Roll Call for HR 2146," accessed June 30, 2015
- ↑ Clerk.House.gov, "Final Vote Results for Roll Call 374," June 18, 2015
- ↑ Politico, "Trade turnaround: House backs new power for Obama," June 18, 2015
- ↑ Clerk of the House of Representatives, "House Floor Activities, Legislative Day of June 12, 2015," June 12, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "H.R. 1314 (Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act)," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Congress.gov, "HR 1314," accessed May 25, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture on Hatch Amdt. No. 1221 to H.R. 1314)," accessed May 21, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Upon Reconsideration, Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 1314)," accessed May 15, 2015
- ↑ Senate.gov, "On Cloture on the Motion to Proceed (Motion to Invoke Cloture on the Motion to Proceed to H.R. 1314)," accessed May 14, 2015
- ↑ WaysandMeans.House.gov, "Ways and Means Advances Trade Priorities and Accountability Act," accessed May 14, 2015
- ↑ Finance.Senate.gov, "Results of Executive Session," accessed May 14, 2015
