President Barack Obama applauded on May 19 the recent pledge from lawmakers to quickly finish the House legislative process for Customs Reauthorization in order to launch a conference on the legislation. House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., along with Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., struck an agreement the day before to move to conference and send a compromise bill to Obama by the end of June (see 1505190011). The House hasn’t yet voted on its customs legislation, HR-1907 (here), and fundamental differences exist between that bill and the Senate-passed HR-644 (here). Obama praised provisions in the ENFORCE Act and the Leveling the Playing Field Act, both of which are part of the Senate legislation. “I look forward to working with both chambers to improve certain provisions and to ensure swift, strong and effective enforcement,” said Obama in a statement (here). “These critical enforcement tools are complementary to new trade agreements. This legislation should be considered and reach my desk as quickly as possible.”

President Barack Obama applauded Senate approval to open debate on Trade Promotion Authority in remarks late on May 14. The Senate had voted in favor of the procedural motion just hours before. Trade is the one policy area where Obama has a “significant difference” with progressive Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill, he said. “It is my firm belief that, despite the problems of previous trade deals, that we are better off writing high-standard rules with strong, enforceable provisions on things like child labor, or deforestation, or environmental degradation, or wildlife trafficking, or intellectual property -- we are better off writing those rules for what is going to be the largest, fastest-growing market in the world,” said Obama in the remarks.

President Barack Obama again praised progress in Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in a speech at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore. on May 8, saying the pact would boost U.S. manufacturing and break down barriers for U.S. exports (here). Democratic critics have ramped up criticism of the Obama administration’s trade plans as Trade Promotion Authority and the other three trade bills move through the legislative progress. Activists outside Nike headquarters held an anti-TPP rally (here). Obama countered that the lack of currency rules in TPP talks shouldn’t jeopardize the whole agreement. Administration officials will continue to diplomatically pressure foreign governments to avoid currency manipulation, said Obama. He also hit back at critics who say TPP could threaten U.S. regulations, an argument often invoked among concerns over investor-state dispute settlement. “They’re making this stuff up,” he said. “This is just not true.”

President Barack Obama will take to the bully pulpit again on May 8 to make his case for Trade Promotion Authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Ore., the White House said in recent days. White House spokesman Josh Earnest largely deflected questions on May 6 about the choice of venue. "What I can just say as a general matter is that the President is looking forward to visiting the Nike headquarters and using it to illustrate how a responsible trade agreement that includes enforceable labor and environmental standards would strongly benefit middle-class families and the American economy," said Earnest in his daily briefing. The Oregon Fair Trade Campaign is organizing a protest during Obama's visit (here).

White House Spokesman Josh Earnest criticized House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on May 5 over Boehner’s recent suggestion that President Barack Obama needs Hillary Clinton to help pass Trade Promotion Authority. Earnest spoke at his daily press conference. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in 2016, fought for the Trans-Pacific Partnership during her tenure as Secretary of State, at one point calling it the “gold standard” of future trade.

President Barack Obama delivered a defense of his support for Trade Promotion Authority and the Trans-Pacific Partnership in a speech on April 23 (here). Obama again hit back at Democratic opposition, arguing the TPP will help the U.S. economy and tackle ongoing problems in NAFTA.

President Barack Obama again applauded the introduction of Trade Promotion Authority in remarks alongside Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on April 17. The legislation will give the U.S. the opportunity to lock down the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, and those pacts will benefit both the U.S. economy and workers, he said.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi pledged to continue his country’s bid to join the World Trade Organization in an April 16 meeting with Vice President Joe Biden, the White House said in a statement. Iraq launched the process for WTO accession in 2004 (here).

President Barack Obama initiated a 45-day Congressional review process to remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. That review period is required by U.S. law, said the White House in a statement (here). Obama sent a memo to Congress confirming the Cuban government has not supported terrorism over the past six-months. Cuba also vowed to not support terrorism in the future, Obama's memo said. “After a careful review of Cuba’s record, which was informed by the Intelligence Community, as well as assurances provided by the Cuban government, the Secretary of State concluded that Cuba met the conditions for rescinding its designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism,” the White House said. “The Secretary of State therefore recommended that the President make and submit to Congress the statutorily-required report and certification.”

Vice President Joe Biden urged South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa on April 14 to pressure removal of poultry market access barriers for U.S. exports to the country, the White House said in an emailed statement. A bipartisan group of U.S. senators recently pushed South African industry to quickly slash antidumping duties on U.S. poultry (see 1503310069). Those lawmakers predicted the Senate Finance Committee will introduce a renewal bill for the African Growth and Opportunity Act at some point in April. AGOA is set to expire at the end of September. Biden said the Obama administration wants to renew AGOA “as soon as possible,” but the South African poultry barriers remain a “concern.”