Cantwell helps advance Obama trade pact

  • By Charles Babington Associated Press
  • Thursday, May 21, 2015 1:50pm
  • Business

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s trade agenda cleared a key Senate hurdle and advanced toward likely passage Thursday despite opposition from most Democrats.

The 62-38 vote capped a long, tense roll call on a measure that would allow Obama to negotiate trade deals that Congress can accept or reject, but not change. If opponents had garnered three more votes, they would have been able to block the legislation with a procedural move.

With Republicans generally in favor of the measure, the pivotal votes came from Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., and a handful of others who support the trade measure. They used the showdown as leverage for a commitment that the Senate would act next month on legislation to keep the Export-Import Bank in existence. The government-backed bank guarantees loans for overseas sales by U.S. companies.

The bank’s legal authority expires June 30, and conservatives in the House are seeking to put it out of business.

Obama and major business groups worked in the final hours to help secure the needed Senate votes on trade. Obama made phone calls late Wednesday night to Democratic senators including Cantwell and Ron Wyden of Oregon, the top Democrat handling the trade legislation.

Cantwell said she spoke several times in the past 24 hours to Obama, and “the president now is very committed to making this part of the entire trade package,” referring to the Export-Import Bank.

“… I think now they understand the timeliness of the June 30 expiration, that there are deals that are pending, and that no one wants to put these important opportunities that hard-working American businesses have secured … at jeopardy,” Cantwell said.

Obama said Thursday’s vote was “a big step forward.” Meeting with his Cabinet, the president said new trade deals will “open up access to markets that too often are closed,” even as those other countries are selling goods in the United States.

Leaders of the Business Council met early Thursday with Democratic Senate leaders. They included Boeing chief executive James McNerney, a strong supporter of reauthorizing the Ex-Im Bank, said Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. Durbin, the Senate’s second-ranking Democrat, said the Ex-Im Bank was among the topics discussed.

Durbin said the agreement to allow a Senate vote on the Ex-Im Bank in June was crucial to Thursday’s outcome.

Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., said Cantwell “feels very strongly, as we do, about the Export-Import Bank getting a clear path, that there would be a vote soon on Export-Import. She was given that assurance by Sen. McConnell, and she immediately turned and voted aye.”

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., is the Senate majority leader.

House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Cantwell asked him for a guarantee that the House also will vote on whether to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank, but “I told her I would not make that commitment.”

The White House seeks the trade legislation to improve prospects for a treaty under negotiation with 11 other Pacific Rim nations. Supporters say a deal would boost U.S. exports and create jobs for an economy still not showing full strength.

But labor unions and other groups vital to Democrats strongly oppose Obama’s trade agenda. They say free-trade deals cost U.S. jobs.

There were 49 Republicans and 13 Democrats who voted to advance the measure Thursday. Another 31 Democrats, two independents and five Republicans opposed.

The trade agenda is among Obama’s highest second-term priorities. Support was thought to be greater in the Senate than in the House, which is awaiting trade action, so a Senate defeat would have been especially embarrassing.

Wyden said, “We had two big issues that we basically worked through the night on” Wednesday. They were the Ex-Im Bank and the number of types of amendments senators can offer to the trade bill.

The politics of trade have been strange from the start. Republican lawmakers generally support expanded trade deals, but many are loath to give Obama any new victories.

Most congressional Democrats and key liberal groups oppose new trade deals. But an uncertain number of House and Senate Democrats support Obama on trade, and the White House has lobbied heavily to expand that group.

Senate critics are attacking the fast-track bill from many sides. Some demand crackdowns on countries that make their exports more affordable by keeping the currency artificially low.

Others insist that Congress first deal with pending expirations of a domestic surveillance program and the Export-Import Bank.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Business

Black Press Media operates Sound Publishing, the largest community news organization in Washington State with dailies and community news outlets in Alaska.
Black Press Media concludes transition of ownership

Black Press Media, which operates Sound Publishing, completed its sale Monday (March 25), following the formerly announced corporate restructuring.

Maygen Hetherington, executive director of the Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, laughs during an interview in her office on Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024, in Snohomish, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Maygen Hetherington: tireless advocate for the city of Snohomish

Historic Downtown Snohomish Association receives the Opportunity Lives Here award from Economic Alliance.

FILE - Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs poses in front of photos of the 15 people who previously held the office on Nov. 22, 2021, after he was sworn in at the Capitol in Olympia, Wash. Hobbs faces several challengers as he runs for election to the office he was appointed to last fall. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)
Secretary of State Steve Hobbs: ‘I wanted to serve my country’

Hobbs, a former Lake Stevens senator, is the recipient of the Henry M. Jackson Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Mark Duffy poses for a photo in his office at the Mountain Pacific Bank headquarters on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Mark Duffy: Building a hometown bank; giving kids an opportunity

Mountain Pacific Bank’s founder is the recipient of the Fluke Award from Economic Alliance Snohomish County.

Barb Tolbert poses for a photo at Silver Scoop Ice Cream on Thursday, Feb. 29, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Barb Tolbert: Former mayor piloted Arlington out of economic brink

Tolbert won the Elson S. Floyd Award, honoring a leader who has “created lasting opportunities” for the underserved.

Photo provided by 
Economic Alliance
Economic Alliance presented one of the Washington Rising Stem Awards to Katie Larios, a senior at Mountlake Terrace High School.
Mountlake Terrace High School senior wins state STEM award

Katie Larios was honored at an Economic Alliance gathering: “A champion for other young women of color in STEM.”

The Westwood Rainier is one of the seven ships in the Westwood line. The ships serve ports in the Pacific Northwest and Northeast Asia. (Photo provided by Swire Shipping)
Westwood Shipping Lines, an Everett mainstay, has new name

The four green-hulled Westwood vessels will keep their names, but the ships will display the Swire Shipping flag.

A Keyport ship docked at Lake Union in Seattle in June 2018. The ship spends most of the year in Alaska harvesting Golden King crab in the Bering Sea. During the summer it ties up for maintenance and repairs at Lake Union. (Keyport LLC)
In crabbers’ turbulent moment, Edmonds seafood processor ‘saved our season’

When a processing plant in Alaska closed, Edmonds-based business Keyport stepped up to solve a “no-win situation.”

Angela Harris, Executive Director of the Port of Edmonds, stands at the port’s marina on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Edmonds, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Leadership, love for the Port of Edmonds got exec the job

Shoring up an aging seawall is the first order of business for Angela Harris, the first woman to lead the Edmonds port.

The Cascade Warbirds fly over Naval Station Everett. (Sue Misao / The Herald file)
Bothell High School senior awarded $2,500 to keep on flying

Cascade Warbirds scholarship helps students 16-21 continue flight training and earn a private pilot’s certificate.

Rachel Gardner, the owner of Musicology Co., a new music boutique record store on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2024 in Edmonds, Washington. Musicology Co. will open in February, selling used and new vinyl, CDs and other music-related merchandise. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Edmonds record shop intends to be a ‘destination for every musician’

Rachel Gardner opened Musicology Co. this month, filling a record store gap in Edmonds.

MyMyToyStore.com owner Tom Harrison at his brick and mortar storefront on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burst pipe permanently closes downtown Everett toy store

After a pipe flooded the store, MyMyToystore in downtown Everett closed. Owner Tom Harrison is already on to his next venture.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.