Senate invokes cloture on TPA as TAA speculation continues
June 23, 2015 |07:33 PM
The Senate today voted 60 to 37 to invoke cloture on the trade promotion authority bill, paving the way for a final vote on Wednesday.
If passed by the Senate, the stand-alone TPA bill will go to President Barack Obama for his signature because the House has already passed it.
The Senate is also expected to vote for cloture on the bill that would reauthorize the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and include trade adjustment assistance on Wednesday, although TPA opponents are still pushing senators to vote against it.
If that bill passes, it would go back to the House.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said today that he still hopes to send the two bills to Obama this week. But the scheduling could get tight with Obama and members of Congress planning to travel to Charleston, S.C., for funeral services on Friday.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said again today that Obama wants to sign both the TPA and the TAA bills, but said he did not have guidance on whether Obama would sign the TPA bill before the TAA bill arrives on his desk.
Asked whether Obama's statements that he wants to sign both bills would lead Democrats to vote against TAA to stop TPA, Earnest said, “it strikes me that that would be akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
Earnest also urged the House and Senate to conduct a prompt conference on the trade enforcement bill.
Earlier today Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., filed cloture on a motion to insist on the Senate amendments go to conference with the House on the trade enforcement and customs facilitation bill, Washington Trade Daily reported.
If passed by the Senate, the stand-alone TPA bill will go to President Barack Obama for his signature because the House has already passed it.
The Senate is also expected to vote for cloture on the bill that would reauthorize the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and include trade adjustment assistance on Wednesday, although TPA opponents are still pushing senators to vote against it.
If that bill passes, it would go back to the House.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said today that he still hopes to send the two bills to Obama this week. But the scheduling could get tight with Obama and members of Congress planning to travel to Charleston, S.C., for funeral services on Friday.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said again today that Obama wants to sign both the TPA and the TAA bills, but said he did not have guidance on whether Obama would sign the TPA bill before the TAA bill arrives on his desk.
Asked whether Obama's statements that he wants to sign both bills would lead Democrats to vote against TAA to stop TPA, Earnest said, “it strikes me that that would be akin to cutting off your nose to spite your face.”
Earnest also urged the House and Senate to conduct a prompt conference on the trade enforcement bill.
Earlier today Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., filed cloture on a motion to insist on the Senate amendments go to conference with the House on the trade enforcement and customs facilitation bill, Washington Trade Daily reported.
