[CTC] Congressional leaders leave a crack in 2016 window for TPP

[Arthur Stamoulis]

POLITICO
Congressional leaders leave a crack in 2016 window for TPP
 
By Adam Behsudi
12/15/2015 09:57 AM EDT

House and Senate leaders today didn't rule out the possibility of a vote on the Trans-Pacific Partnership next year, but signaled it could be a tough process given the politics surrounding the deal.

"I thought it was important to get [trade promotion authority] in place, not only for President Obama, but for the next president," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said at a Playbook Breakfast event. "We have that, and I'm not really decided yet on the deal that he negotiated. It could have been, from my point of view, a lot better."

In an interview last week with the Washington Post, McConnell said it would be unlikely the agreement would come up before the presidential election and cast doubt on it being passed while Obama is still in office.

When asked this morning if he thought the deal will be taken up by the next president, McConnell acknowledged that many of the presidential candidates in both parties oppose the deal.

"If the president wants to succeed, he ought to take into account the reality of the political situation," he said. "It's up to him to decide whether to initiate the process."

House Speaker Paul Ryan said it's "very possible" for the deal to come up next year, but a lot of questions still need to be answered about the final outcome. He added that the deal is important.

"The ambition is right where it ought to be," he said at the same event. "The question is, does the agreement deliver on the ambition, and if we conclude it does then we want to move as soon as we can."


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