<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="">Happening momentarily. Keep the calls coming! The ask is for Congress to vote NO on today’s entire trade package: TAA, Fast Track and Customs.</i><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><h1 class="title" id="page-title" style="font-size: 39px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Obama to lobby Dems at Capitol</h1><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class="clearer" style="clear: both; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"></div><article class="view-mode-full node node-article node-244798 clearfix" about="/policy/finance/244798-obama-to-lobby-dems-at-capitol" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><div class="clearfix"><div class="addthis_sharing_toolbox" data-url="http://thehill.com/policy/finance/244798-obama-to-lobby-dems-at-capitol" data-title="Obama to lobby Dems at Capitol" style="float: left; margin: 20px 0px;"><div id="atstbx" class="at4-show addthis-smartlayers addthis_20x20_style at-share-tbx-element addthis-animated" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; -webkit-animation: 1s both; opacity: 1 !important;"><a class="at-share-btn at-svc-facebook" style="background-color: rgb(48, 88, 145); transition: none; -webkit-transition: none; margin: 0px 2px; display: inline-block; max-width: 20px; max-height: 20px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><span class="aticon-facebook at4-icon" title="Facebook" style="display: inline-block; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; text-indent: -9999em; cursor: pointer; width: 20px; height: 20px; line-height: 20px; background-size: 20px !important; background-image: url(data:image/svg+xml;charset=utf-8,%3Csvg%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%20width%3D%2232%22%20height%3D%2232%22%20viewBox%3D%220%200%2032%2032%22%3E%3Cpath%20fill%3D%22%23fff%22%20d%3D%22M22.439%2010.95h4v-4.95h-4c-3.311%200-6%202.92-6%206.5v2.5h-4v4.97h4v12.03h5v-12.03h5v-4.97h-5v-2.55c0-.86.532-1.5%201-1.5z%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E); background-position: 0% 50%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"></span></a></div><div id="atstbx" class="at4-show addthis-smartlayers addthis_20x20_style at-share-tbx-element addthis-animated" style="padding: 0px; margin: 0px; -webkit-animation: 1s both; opacity: 1 !important;"><a class="at-share-btn at-svc-facebook" style="background-color: rgb(48, 88, 145); transition: none; -webkit-transition: none; margin: 0px 2px; display: inline-block; max-width: 20px; max-height: 20px; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br class=""></a></div></div></div></article></div><div class=""><div style="margin: 0px; font-weight: bold; color: rgb(0, 51, 102); font-size: 11px; line-height: 1; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;" class="">By <span rel="sioc:has_creator" class="">Jordan Fabian and Cristina Marcos</span> - <span class="date" style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">06/12/15 09:06 AM EDT</span></div><div class="field-label-hidden field-name-body field field-type-text-with-summary" style="overflow: hidden; font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><div class="">President Obama will go to Capitol Hill on Friday to persuade skeptical Democrats to back his trade agenda ahead of a critical series of votes.</div><div class=""> </div><div class="">Obama will address House Democrats at a morning meeting, according to a Democratic aide. just hours before the House is set to vote on fast-track trade authority.</div><div class=""> </div><div class=""><div id="dfp-ad-mosad_1-wrapper" class="wrapper dfp-tag-wrapper" style="position: relative;"><div id="dfp-ad-mosad_1" class="dfp-tag-wrapper" style="position: relative; background-color: rgb(235, 235, 235); padding: 16px 5px 10px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><br class=""><div id="google_ads_iframe_1107919/Content_300x250_OntheMoney_asynch_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none;" class=""><br class=""></div></div></div>Fast-track would help the president advance a sweeping Pacific Rim trade pact by preventing Congress from amending it. </div><div class="yj6qo ajU"> </div><div class="yj6qo ajU"><div dir="ltr" class=""><div class="">The president’s rare appearance at the Capitol comes as White House is mounting a furious, last-minute push to garner enough votes to advance the legislation. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">Obama has stepped up his personal involvement in the lobbying push. On Thursday might, he <a href="http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/244786-obama-attends-congressional-baseball-game-amid-trade-battle" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 102); text-decoration: none; outline: none; font-weight: bold;" class="">dropped</a> by the Congressional Baseball Game in order to spend some casual time with lawmakers ahead of the big vote. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">The trade bill is expected to get support from a majority of Republicans, who traditionally back free trade. But he needs a handful of Democrats to pass the fast-track bill. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">The outcome has also become complicated by the process in which the bill will be considered.</div><div class=""> </div><div class="">To get to a vote on the fast-track measure, the House must first approve a separate bill renewing Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), which provides aid to workers displaced by trade.</div><div class=""> </div><div class="">TAA has traditionally garnered more support from Democrats than Republicans, but many in the party are calling for it to be defeated on Friday to kill fast-track.</div><div class=""> </div><div class="">Obama is likely to make TAA a big part of his pitch to Democrats.</div><div class=""> </div><div class="">The program expires at the end of September, and the administration has argued the GOP is unlikely to bring it up for renewal if Democrats vote it down.</div><div class=""> </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">Administration officials have knocked anti-free trade Democrats for opposing TAA, calling it a cynical play to derail the trade package by opposing something they supported in the past. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">The White House circulated a fact-sheet Thursday touting the benefits of TAA, which include employment services and job retraining. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">If a fraction of the workers participating in TAA instead left the labor force, it would reduce annual gross domestic product by $5 billion over the next six years, the White House claims.</div></div></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>