<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=""><div class=""><i class="">Let’s keep up the great work to ensure the votes aren’t there through the spring, Lame Duck and beyond…</i></div><div class=""><i class=""><br class=""></i></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><a href="http://journaltimes.com/news/local/ryan-votes-not-there-for-trade-agreement/article_b5192a7c-3e8e-5b81-bd38-bd3d71831f90.html" class="">http://journaltimes.com/news/local/ryan-votes-not-there-for-trade-agreement/article_b5192a7c-3e8e-5b81-bd38-bd3d71831f90.html</a><div class=""><h1 class="">Ryan: Votes not there for trade agreement</h1><div class=""><div class="publish-meta clearfix">
<div class="date left"><span class="pubdate">4 hours ago</span> • <span class="byline"><a href="http://journaltimes.com/search/?l=50&sd=desc&s=start_time&f=html&byline=MARK%20SCHAAF%0Amark.schaaf%40journaltimes.com" class="">MARK SCHAAF
mark.schaaf@journaltimes.com</a></span></div></div></div></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><p class=""><strong class="">RACINE COUNTY —</strong> One of the major priorities for President Barack Obama's final year is on thin ice in Congress. </p><p class="">House
Speaker Paul Ryan said in an interview many concerns have been raised
over the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a major 12-country trade deal with
Pacific countries reached last year. </p><p class="">Obama has called for Congress to pass the agreement, but lawmakers would not do so if a vote was held today, Ryan said.</p><p class="">"There
are enough concerns about this agreement, some that I also have, where I
don't see enough support for it right now," Ryan, R-Wis., told The
Journal Times on Tuesday.</p><p class="">Ryan didn't elaborate on specifics, but
the agreement has been met with bipartisan skepticism. While the Obama
administration has been the driving force behind TPP, many Democrats
oppose the deal, arguing it would cost American jobs. Opponents include
both Democrats in the presidential race, Hillary Clinton and Bernie
Sanders.</p><p class="">In Racine, Democratic state Rep. Cory Mason <a href="http://journaltimes.com/news/local/democrats-union-members-oppose-trade-measure-ryan-supports-it/article_140c4873-bc51-57ed-a18a-be3740a2550b.html" target="_blank" class="">held a press conference last spring</a> with union members and retirees calling on Ryan to end his push for the legislation. </p><p class="">Obama, meanwhile, <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/10/05/statement-president-trans-pacific-partnership" target="_blank" class="">has said</a>
the deal "levels the playing field" for American workers, eliminates
18,000 taxes, and includes "the strongest commitments on labor and the
environment of any trade agreement in history."</p><p class="">TPP was one of the topics Ryan, whose district includes Racine County, discussed with Obama <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/03/us/politics/obama-and-paul-ryan-have-lunch-mitch-mcconnell.html?_r=0" target="_blank" class="">when the two met</a> for about three hours last week.</p>
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</div><p class="">Ryan said he and the president found some areas of agreement,
including reforms on criminal justice and mental health. He expects
measures to move through Congress this year. </p><p class="">"We obviously aired
our differences on a whole host of issues," he said. "We also looked
where we could find some common ground."</p><p class="">Ryan, however, does not
anticipate finding much common ground on Obama's budget proposal, which
was set to be released later Tuesday. </p><p class="">"I'm sure he'll put a lot
of things in his budget for political reasons to make political points
with no expectation of action on them, is what I expect," Ryan said. </p></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class="">
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