Immediate TPA Vote Will Polarize Congress on Trade, Says Dem Trade Chief in House
A Trade Promotion Authority vote in the near future will only polarize congressional views on trade and may fail to advance through the House, said the House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sandy Levin, D-Mich., to reporters on Dec. 5. Lawmakers need to first ensure U.S. negotiators resolve outstanding areas of Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations before a TPA vote is taken up, he said. The administration must also put in place a far stronger, formalized congressional role in trade negotiations oversight and consultations, said Levin. There is no legislation needed for that, only administration commitment, he said.
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Levin did not endorse the TPA bill introduced in January that was co-sponsored by Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp, R-Mich., then-Finance Chairman Max Baucus, and soon-to-be Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. That bill is sorely inadequate when it comes to mandating negotiation objectives, said Levin, noting that the legislation only calls for obligatory reduction of tariffs in U.S. free trade agreements. Therefore, focus on the substance of the pact is critical to providing lawmakers a sense of what TPP agreement TPA will help to shepherd through Congress, he said.
Lawmakers are demanding more access to TPP chapters, and so far that access has been a struggle, Levin said. USTR officials and many trade advocates insist lawmakers have unfettered access to TPP material. Although the TPA bill introduced in January spells out some parameters for congressional consultations, Levin said he is not aiming to enshrine his own consultation priorities in a TPA bill of his own. He insisted his focus remains solely on TPP substance, saying he wants to move those talks forward as “effectively and rapidly” as possible with the goal of a 2015 conclusion of negotiations.