Boehner: We don't have votes yet on trade

[WestVirginiaRebel]

The Hill:

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) on Wednesday said he's hopeful the House will pass legislation this month granting President Obama fast-track trade powers, but said the votes aren't there yet.

 

“I don't think we're quite there yet,” Boehner said in an interview on Fox News Radio's “Kilmeade & Friends.”

 

“But over the next couple weeks, we hope to get this bill on the floor and get it passed. It's an important priority for the country,” he said.

 

Boehner acknowledged some in his party are opposing the fast-track legislation, known as Trade Promotion Authority or TPA, simply because they don't trust Obama.

 

But the Speaker added: “This is not about the president; frankly, it's about the country. It’s why I've worked with the president on a number of trade agreements over the course of his tenure and my tenure as Speaker,” including deals with Panama and South Korea.

 

Last month, the Senate passed TPA on a 62 to 37 vote. But the bill is facing a steeper climb in the House, where most Democrats are fiercely opposed. The bill would allow Obama to send to Congress the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a major trade deal among 12 Pacific Rim nations, for an up-or-down vote. Under the fast-track rules, lawmakers would not be able to amend the trade deal.

 

Republicans proponents of TPA estimate they will need about 190 GOP votes, leaving Obama to bring along roughly 30 Democratic votes to get the bill across the finish line.

 

Obama recently told Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.) he thought he had secured 20 Democratic votes for TPA.

________

 

Boehner and Obama agree on this. The stink of B.O.?

[Valin]

This is not about this President, this is about the next President...and the next...and the next....