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Bloomberg: Obama doesn’t have the TPP votes

The secretive, internet censoring Trans-Pacific Partnership is what Obama envisions as his last legacy before leaving office. But, will he be able to get the votes? Article by Kathleen Miller for Bloomberg Politics President Barack Obama doesn’t have the votes at this point to win U.S. House passage of legislation that would expedite approval of trade accords, a Democratic leader in the chamber said.

The secretive, internet censoring Trans-Pacific Partnership is what Obama envisions as his last legacy before leaving office. But, will he be able to get the votes?

Article by Kathleen Miller for Bloomberg Politics

President Barack Obama doesn’t have the votes at this point to win U.S. House passage of legislation that would expedite approval of trade accords, a Democratic leader in the chamber said.

Obama has sought the trade-promotion authority legislation, largely backed by Republicans, to help him close a 12-nation deal called the Trans-Pacific Partnership and submit it to Congress for expedited passage without amendments.

“Does the president have the votes? I’d say at this stage he does not,” Representative Xavier Becerra of California, the fourth-ranking House Democrat, said Thursday at a meeting with Bloomberg reporters and editors. “I think it’s more a matter of: Can Republicans gather Republican votes?”

The Senate advanced the trade-authority legislation Thursday, over significant opposition from the chamber’s most powerful Democrats. The 62-38 procedural vote, with 60 required, would allow a vote on final passage to occur as late as Saturday, although senators may agree to speed up the schedule. The measure’s fate in the House is uncertain.

Becerra, who opposes the bill, said any fast-track trade legislation should include measures intended to discourage other countries from manipulating the value of their currencies for competitive advantage.

- Read more at Bloomberg Politcs



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