“What we got out of the vote here today is TPA,” Congressman Gregory Meeks told Sputnik.
He explained that the US House maneuvered a separation of the controversial TPA from a trade adjustment assistance program (TAA) to reimburse US workers.
The rule passed easily, and a final vote on the TPA is expected later on Thursday.
“What…passed out of the House bifurcated TPA and TAA, rather than having them together,” Meeks explained.
Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur noted that these complicated maneuvers are standard practice when passing a trade promotion authority.
“They [the supporters of the TPA] will do anything to jimmy-rig the rules to get what they want,” Kaptur told Sputnik.
A number of Senate Democrats have stated that they will not pass TPA without trade adjustment assistance to compensate workers for lost jobs due to free-trade. It is unclear when the House will bring up the separate TAA bill.
