<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><i class="">All Dems except Sen. Carper opposed cloture. This is an impressive victory and a testament to your work — but we should all expect additional votes soon.<br class=""></i><div apple-content-edited="true" class="">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; border-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: normal;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: normal;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-style: normal;" class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto;" class=""><a href="http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/obamas-fast-track-trade-bill-filibustered/?dcz=emailalert" target="_BLANK" style="color: purple;" class="">http://blogs.rollcall.com/wgdb/obamas-fast-track-trade-bill-filibustered/?dcz=emailalert</a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"> </p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto; background-color: white;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;" class="">Obama’s Fast-Track Trade Bill Filibustered</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"> </p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto;" class="">Roll Call</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto;" class="">By Steven Dennis</div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto;" class="">May 12, 2015</div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"> </p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; widows: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The Senate blocked President Barack Obama’s top trade priority Tuesday, with the president’s own party abandoning him en masse.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Pro-trade Democrats insisted that several issues be bundled into the so-called fast-track trade authority bill, including a currency-related bill, but Senate Majority Leader<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.rollcall.com/members/202.html" target="_BLANK" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(238, 100, 63);" class="">Mitch McConnell</span></a>, R-Ky., balked, only agreeing to votes on amendments instead.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The 52-45 vote fell well short of the 60 votes needed.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest preemptively called the defeat<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://blogs.rollcall.com/white-house/white-house-brushes-off-fast-track-failure-snafu/" target="_BLANK" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(238, 100, 63);" class="">a “procedural SNAFU” and said the president will continue to try and push the bill through the Senate.</span></a></span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">But it marks a huge setback for Obama, who has made a concerted and relatively rare, personal lobbying effort to push the trade deal over the finish line. He’s also sharply criticized opponents of the deal in his own party, and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.rollcall.com/members/46463.html" target="_BLANK" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(238, 100, 63);" class="">Elizabeth Warren</span></a>, D-Mass., in particular, who have ripped him for hiding the details of trade agreements from the public until after he gets fast-track authority.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><a href="http://www.rollcall.com/members/406.html" target="_BLANK" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(238, 100, 63);" class="">Ron Wyden</span></a>, the ranking Democrat who shepherded fast-track through the Finance Committee, earlier tweeted he would vote “no” unless the bills move forward together.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The White House opposes attaching currency enforcement measures, worrying they could imperil the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement with Asian countries and potentially imperil the independence of the Federal Reserve.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Earnest said existing policy has already succeeded in getting China and Japan to begin “to level the playing field” on their currencies, noting China’s currency has appreciated 30 percent against the dollar since 2010.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">However, critics of the administration have noted that the administration has repeatedly certified that China and other countries are not manipulating their currency in semi-annual reports on the issue.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Minority Leader<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="http://www.rollcall.com/members/337.html" target="_BLANK" style="color: purple;" class=""><span style="color: rgb(238, 100, 63);" class="">Harry Reid</span></a>, D-Nev., warned Democrats wanted all four bills in the trade package and questioned how “robust” the amendment process would be.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Many Democrats want ironclad assurances that the currency and other provisions will become law, not just have a chance to lose on the Senate floor.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Unless they are included in the bill — or Obama vows not to sign it until they are all on his desk — it’s hard to see that happening.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Earnest also said that the White House wasn’t particularly upset at former Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for not weighing in to support the bill.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">He noted she has a campaign to run.</span></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; orphans: auto; margin-bottom: 15pt; background-color: white; widows: 1;" class=""><em class=""><span style="font-size: 10.5pt; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Niels Lesniewski contributed to this report.</span></em></p></div></div></span></span></div></body></html>