House slows attempts to fast track future TPP deal
The US House of Representatives has approved a trade bill but rejected a programme aimed at US workers, meaning the fast tracking of two proposed agreements covering intellectual property would be slowed down.
Members of the US House of Representatives on Friday, June 12, had backed the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill in a 219-211 vote. With just 28 Democrats voting for and 157 against the bill, it went through with mainly Republican support.
But on the same day the separate Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program, which provides support for workers who have lost their jobs due to foreign trade, was rejected by the House in a 302-126 vote.
In total, 44 Democrats backed the TAA Program, while 144 opposed it.
It means attempts to pass the TPA bill have been slowed down because, in May, the US Senate approved a draft of the bill that included the TAA Program. For the TPA to pass, the House must also approve TAA Program.
It also a reveals a split between President Obama and his party. Obama has been a big supporter of the TPA because it would allow him to conclude the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) without Congress attempting to change the agreements.
If the TPA is approved, Congress would only have the power to vote the deals up or down, not amend them.
The TPP is being negotiated by 12 nations including the US, Japan, Australia and Canada. The agreement aims to harmonise aspects of IP laws across the nations.
Meanwhile, the US and EU are negotiating the TTIP, which includes a provision to “improve cooperation” on international standards for IP laws.
Nancy Pelosi, the leader of the House for the Democrats, led the vote against the TAA. She said in her speech to the House on the day of the vote that while she supported the TAA, “she had to vote against it” because defeating it was the only way “to slow down the fast-track [TPA bill].
She opposes the TPA bill in its current form because of its potential negative impact on US jobs and the environment.
“The fact is that if TAA fails, the fast-track bill is stopped,” she added.
