A group of lawmakers led by Reps. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., and Peter Defazio, D-Ore., are soliciting House member signatures on a letter urging support for strict environmental rules in a final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) pact. The letter, intended to be submitted to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman in late February or early March, insists the TPP agreement builds on a May 10, 2007 accord (here) that requires adherence to a host of multilateral environment agreements. The letter will circulate until Feb. 11, according to a spokeswoman from a House member that endorsed the letter.

The Senate passed the Farm Bill on Feb. 4 with a 68-32 roll call, following months of conference and the October 2013 expiration of a significant portion of the legislation’s provisions. President Barack Obama urged passage of the bill repeatedly over recent months, and vowed to sign the $956 billion Agricultural Act of 2014 into law on Feb. 7, said a White House statement. Some agricultural organizations and proponents trumpet the legislation's funding for the Department of Agriculture (USDA) Market Access Program (MAP) that aims to maintain and boost current agricultural export levels.

The Senate Finance committee unanimously approved on Feb. 4 Gil Kerlikowske for CBP commissioner, the committee said in a press release. Kerlikowske still needs approval from the full Senate. The Senate Foreign Relations committee unanimously approved on the same day Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., for Ambassador to China and Rose Gottemoeller to be State Department undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security, according to a Foreign Relations committee spokesman. The Foreign Relations committee also approved Frank Rose to be State assistant secretary for Verification and Compliance and Puneet Talwar to be assistant secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs in 16-2 votes in favor, added the spokesman.

The Senate Foreign Relations committee will consider on Feb. 4 Rose Gottemoeller to be State Department undersecretary for Arms Control and International Security, Frank Rose to be State assistant secretary for Verification and Compliance and Puneet Talwar to be assistant secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs, a position that oversees defense trade. The Senate Foreign Relations committee also added to the docket the nomination of Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., for Ambassador to China, according to a Senate Foreign Relations committee spokesman. Baucus submitted all necessary for-the-record answers to questions requested following his Jan. 28 hearing, the spokesman said (see 14012817).

The Senate voted on Feb. 3 to invoke cloture and end debate on the Farm Bill, with a vote in support on the legislation expected on Feb. 4. Prior to the cloture vote, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., railed against the inclusion of the U.S. Department of Agricultural (USDA) Catfish Inspection Program in the prospective law, calling the program a blatant protectionist measure to safeguard the U.S. catfish industry. The program invites World Trade Organization-sanctioned retaliation against U.S. agricultural products and threatens the U.S. ability to win tariff concessions in the Trans-Pacific Partnership, said McCain.

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is preparing to "underwrite" an advertisement in opposition to Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and is seeking national organizations to sign on to the effort, according to an email circulated by CWA. Under TPA, commonly called Fast Track, Congress agrees to suspend normal legislative procedure for trade bills, offering no amendments, limiting debate and making a simple up-or-down vote. "Fast track has had a difficult month because of the great work done by a broad range of groups" and "now it’s time to do more," said Kenneth Peres, CWA chief economist, in the email. The ad would "reflect the breadth of opposition to Fast Track."

The Obama Administration repeatedly demonstrates a reluctance to embrace Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) and an unwillingness to muster support for the legislation among Democratic congressional ranks, said Senate Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, speaking at a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event on Jan. 29. The president “barely mentioned” TPA in his State of the Union address, said Hatch. The administration is also not employing strength to garner support, said Hatch, noting U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman declined to testify at a Finance committee hearing on the legislation this month (see 14011616). The lack of commitment jeopardizes U.S. participation in final Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) trade pacts, said Hatch.

Recent trade-related bills introduced in Congress include:

President Barack Obama in his Jan. 28 State of the Union address pressed Congress to pass transportation and waterways legislation by the summer, a reference to the on-going conference over Senate Water Resources and Development Act, S-601, and sister House Water Resources Reform and Development Act, HR-3080. The law would create 3 million new jobs, said Obama to the applause of infrastructure advocates.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., strenuously opposes bringing the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act, the 2014 iteration of Trade Promotion Authority, to the Senate floor, according to comments made on Jan. 29 and reported by several publications. "Everyone would be well advised to not push this right now,” Reid said, The Hill reported (here). “Everyone knows how I feel about this.” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., was the sole sponsor to S-1900, the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities Act introduced in the Senate. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is widely expected to replace Baucus as Finance Committee chairman, should Baucus be confirmed as ambassador to China (see 14012902). As majority leader, Reid controls the Senate floor schedule.