House Deals Blow to Obama on Trade Bill

President Obama “suffered a major blow Friday in his bid to complete a Pacific trade deal, as opponents of the accord derailed a fast-track trade bill by voting against a worker-aid program that was a key bill component,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

“The 126-302 vote against a program to help workers hurt by international trade came at the hands of a longtime ally, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. It was a major move by the California Democrat, who until now has remained undeclared in the fight, trying to balance her ties to the progressive wing of the party against her loyalty to a president she has long supported.”

New York Times: “In a remarkable rejection of a president they have resolutely backed, House Democrats voted to kill assistance to workers displaced by global trade, a program their party created and has stood by for four decades. By doing so, they brought down legislation granting the president trade promotion authority — the power to negotiate trade deals that cannot be amended or filibustered by Congress — before it could even come to a final vote.”