Translate
12 November 2016
Barack Obama's administration has suspended its efforts to win congressional approval for his Asian free-trade deal
Saturday, 12 November 2016 | MYT 10:48 AM
Obama administration suspends TPP trade deal vote effort
WASHINGTON: US President Barack Obama's administration has suspended its efforts to win congressional approval for his Asian free-trade deal before President-elect Donald Trump takes office, saying on Friday that TPP's fate was up to Trump and Republican lawmakers.
Administration officials also said Obama would try to explain the situation to leaders of the 11 other countries in the Trans-Pacific Partnership pact next week when he attends a regional summit in Peru.
Obama's cabinet secretaries and the US Trade Representative's office had been lobbying lawmakers for months to pass the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership deal in the post-election, lame-duck session of Congress.
However, Trump's stunning election victory that sends him to the White House in January and retains Republican majorities in Congress has stymied those plans.
"We have worked closely with Congress to resolve outstanding issues and are ready to move forward, but this is a legislative process and it's up to congressional leaders as to whether and when this moves forward," USTR spokesman Matt McAlvanah said in a statement.
On Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he would not take up TPP in the weeks before Trump's inauguration and said its fate was now up to Trump. House Speaker Paul Ryan had earlier said he would not proceed with a lame-duck vote.
Trump made his opposition to the TPP a centerpiece of his campaign, calling it a "disaster" and "a rape of our country"that would send more jobs overseas. His anti-free-trade message and pledges to stem the tide of imported goods from China and Mexico won him massive support among blue-collar workers in the industrial heartland states of Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, helping to swing the election his way.
Trump has said he will scrap TPP, renegotiate the 22-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement and adopt a much tougher trade stance with China.
The TPP agreement, negotiated for more than five years and signed in October 2015, was aimed at reducing trade barriers erected by some of the fastest growing economies in Asia and boosting ties with US allies in the region in the face of China's rising influence.
White House Deputy National Security Advisor Wally Adeyemo told reporters on Friday that Obama will tell TPP member countries at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit that the United States will remain engaged in Asia, and that it recognizes the benefits of trade and such deals still make sense.
"In terms of the TPP agreement itself, Leader McConnell has spoken to that and it's something that he's going to work with the President-elect to figure out where they go in terms of trade agreements in the future," Adeyemo said. "But we continue to think that these types of deals make sense, simply because countries like China are not going to stop working on regional agreements." - The Straits Times/Asia News Network
Popular Posts - Last 7 days
-
Maybank Singapore withdraws lawsuit against NFC chairman, children over housing loans Bernama Julai 12, 2022 Maybank Singapore Limited has...
-
COVID-19: New cases in Malaysia take a slight dip again Melissa Fernando ASTRO AWANI Julai 19, 2022 12:00 MYT COVID-19: New cases in Malays...
-
Wan Saiful confirms he is no longer PTPTN chairman Bernama Julai 12, 2022 Bersatu Information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan today confirm...
-
Socso suspends RM423 million PenjanaKerjaya payments Bernama Julai 15, 2022 Socso chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Azi...
-
Naz Empire's defamation lawsuit against Awal Ashaari to go to trial as mediation fails Bernama Julai 12, 2022 The defamation lawsuit f...
-
Seven million Malaysians yet to take booster dose against COVID-19 - PM Bernama Julai 11, 2022 Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaako...
-
MH17 tragedy: Dewan Rakyat expresses condolences to families of passengers, crew Bernama Julai 18, 2022 The Dewan Rakyat today marked the ...
-
No 10m Platform Medal But Pandelela & Dhabitah Are More Determined Than Ever Our hearts nearly leaped out of our chests when we heard...
-
Kedah MB: ECK no longer part of Kulim airport project Bernama Julai 13, 2022 Muhammad Sanusi announced that the ECK Group of Companies (EC...
Popular Posts - Last 30 days
-
A man was stabbed to death by his lover who was a part-time model in an incident at a condominium unit in Kota Kemuning here on Monday. It i...
-
Paris court grants Malaysia's application to suspend claims by purported heirs of Sultan Jamalul Kiram II Bernama Julai 13, 2022 Dr Wa...
-
Maybank Singapore withdraws lawsuit against NFC chairman, children over housing loans Bernama Julai 12, 2022 Maybank Singapore Limited has...
-
Motorcycle crash: Couple accept casualties to twin children as fate Bernama Julai 17, 2022 A couple lost a child while another suffered se...
-
Wan Saiful confirms he is no longer PTPTN chairman Bernama Julai 12, 2022 Bersatu Information chief Datuk Wan Saiful Wan Jan today confirm...
-
COVID-19: New cases in Malaysia take a slight dip again Melissa Fernando ASTRO AWANI Julai 19, 2022 12:00 MYT COVID-19: New cases in Malays...
-
MH17 tragedy: Dewan Rakyat expresses condolences to families of passengers, crew Bernama Julai 18, 2022 The Dewan Rakyat today marked the ...
-
Malaysian Space Board to be fully launched early next year - Dr Adham Bernama Julai 18, 2022 The Malaysian Space Board will be fully launc...
-
Naz Empire's defamation lawsuit against Awal Ashaari to go to trial as mediation fails Bernama Julai 12, 2022 The defamation lawsuit f...
-
Kedah MB: ECK no longer part of Kulim airport project Bernama Julai 13, 2022 Muhammad Sanusi announced that the ECK Group of Companies (EC...
Blog Archive
-
►
2023
(3771)
- December (311)
- November (322)
- October (286)
- September (288)
- August (365)
- July (349)
- June (372)
- May (316)
- April (279)
- March (301)
- February (245)
- January (337)
-
►
2022
(4309)
- December (352)
- November (422)
- October (288)
- September (281)
- August (347)
- July (303)
- June (335)
- May (406)
- April (341)
- March (371)
- February (390)
- January (473)
-
►
2021
(9030)
- December (636)
- November (647)
- October (809)
- September (797)
- August (880)
- July (894)
- June (747)
- May (780)
- April (580)
- March (629)
- February (643)
- January (988)
-
►
2020
(6800)
- December (819)
- November (698)
- October (832)
- September (729)
- August (548)
- July (558)
- June (615)
- May (394)
- April (368)
- March (453)
- February (439)
- January (347)
-
►
2019
(4089)
- December (411)
- November (425)
- October (375)
- September (279)
- August (397)
- July (353)
- June (326)
- May (315)
- April (266)
- March (318)
- February (293)
- January (331)
-
►
2018
(4100)
- December (305)
- November (304)
- October (357)
- September (352)
- August (420)
- July (442)
- June (366)
- May (412)
- April (343)
- March (275)
- February (233)
- January (291)
-
►
2017
(3888)
- December (268)
- November (293)
- October (352)
- September (309)
- August (356)
- July (300)
- June (319)
- May (354)
- April (316)
- March (335)
- February (306)
- January (380)
-
▼
2016
(4563)
- December (331)
- November (328)
- October (378)
- September (415)
- August (404)
- July (380)
- June (310)
- May (370)
- April (430)
- March (484)
- February (355)
- January (378)
-
►
2015
(4588)
- December (402)
- November (392)
- October (393)
- September (375)
- August (450)
- July (392)
- June (456)
- May (407)
- April (408)
- March (374)
- February (262)
- January (277)