The House of Representatives soundly defeated part of President Obama’s trade authorities package, but he doesn’t see it as a failure.
Instead, he focused on the House vote for the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) calling it a “good thing” that both Republicans and Democrats voted for it.
“Today, Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives voted to help the United States negotiate and enforce strong, high-standard trade deals that are good for American workers and good for American businesses,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”
House members voted 302-126 against the Trade Adjustment Authorities (TAA) measure, which was a key component of the president’s plan to get it through the Senate.
Obama urged members of Congress to pass that TAA portion of the bill, arguing that opponents of the legislation would hurt American workers, making it “even harder for them to succeed.”
“I urge the House of Representatives to pass TAA as soon as possible, so I can sign them both, and give our workers and businesses even more wind at their backs to do what they do best: imagine, invent, build, and sell goods ‘Made in America’ to the rest of the world,” he concluded.
House leadership signaled an interest in holding another trade vote early next week, but it was unclear how both the president and supporters of the legislation would move more members of congress to support the bill.
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