Republicans split on trade tactics

The Hill reports

House and Senate Republicans are split on how to proceed with three pending trade agreements as negotiations with the White House continue over the inclusion of a worker-assistance program.

Although Republicans in both chambers agree that the program — known as Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) — should be considered separately from the trade agreements, they differ on what procedures to use.

House Republicans are considering holding separate votes on TAA and the Korean trade agreement. After the vote, they would recombine the two parts and send the package to the Senate.

But Senate Republicans say separate consideration of TAA isn’t enough. Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wants the TAA measure tied to the renewal of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), otherwise known as “fast-track.” That authority allows the White House to negotiate new trade agreements and submit them to Congress for an up-or-down vote without any amendments.

A renewal of the expired fast-track authority hasn’t been on the House’s radar. Obama administration officials have said the issue isn’t on the table for consideration right now, but that they intend to look at it down the road as negotiations advance on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The South Korea, Colombia and Panama pacts are all covered under fast-track because they were signed before the authority expired in June 2007.

TPA has been considered a necessity for brokering trade deals because it provides some certainty to potential trading partners that Congress won’t carve up the agreements.

“I have made it clear to the president and the White House that TAA should move on its own,” Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) said Friday. “We expect in the House to move four separate bills, and I would hope they would heed our advice.”

Without an agreement on procedure between the White House and Congress, the administration will probably send up the trade agreements to Capitol Hill with TAA included in the Korean deal because it provides a guarantee the streamlined program passes.