The Obama administration’s full-court press on trade isn’t racking up enough Democratic votes to move the president’s agenda through Congress, Rep. Sandy Levin (D-Mich.) said Thursday. [Reposted from The Hill  |  Vicki Needham  |  May 7, 2015] The Obama administration’s full-court press on trade isn’t racking up enough Democratic votes to move the president’s agenda…

Washington (CNN)One of President Barack Obama’s favorite sales pitches for his proposed trade deal with Pacific Rim nations — known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership or TPP — is that it will be a boon to the U.S. auto industry. If the TPP is passed, Obama argues, more Ford Mustangs and Chevy pick-ups will be cruising…

The trade agreement lies stoop to a new low. Laughable. Nike, saying it will create 10,000 domestic jobs, backs the president’s case that the Trans-Pacific Partnership could help American manufacturing. [Reposted from The New York Times  |  Peter Baker  |  May 8, 2015] BEAVERTON, Ore. — President Obama on Friday lashed out at critics within…

Senators Orrin Hatch and Ron Wyden have introduced a Senate bill calling for “fast track” Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) along with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan.  A smoldering debate over trade is expected to get even hotter now that Congress has returned from its two-week spring break.  Months of closed-door negotiations continue.…

Alabama senator Jeff Sessions, a Republican, has written a letter to President Barack Obama regarding the request that Congress “fast-track” legislation on Trade Promotion Authority. Sessions says he has a number of questions Congress should expect answers to before the body agrees to “yield its institutional powers.” Read the full letter below: [Reposted from The…

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) on Wednesday (May 6) morning kicked off the process for Senate floor consideration of a Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill by making a motion to proceed to the legislation, although the Senate is still debating an Iran nuclear bill and is not slated to finish that until Thursday at…

Experts say that a chronic gap between imports and exports could impede a generally improving economy. [Reposted from The New York Times  |  Patricia Cohen  |  May 5, 2015] A roof-raising trade gap in March highlighted concerns that the rise of the dollar against other currencies was weakening the economy, chipping away at the ability…

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) threatened Monday (May 4) to block consideration of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) legislation unless Senate Republicans first move on two Democratic priorities: the renewal of the highway trust fund and a bill to reform to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which authorizes data collection and eavesdropping programs for…

  U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack has formally told Congress that it may need to repeal the country-of-origin labeling (COOL) law for meat or else change the statute to allow for a “generic label” if the United States loses a final appeal at the World Trade Organization later this month.   Vilsack…

  Senate Republicans and business groups are criticizing an amendment on human trafficking added to the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill in last week’s Finance Committee markup as hampering the ability of the fast-track bill to function as intended, and are trying to find ways to get it out of the legislation.   Senate Finance…