House is Back in Session; Democrats Filibustered Opening Discussions on Trade Promotion Authority Bill

Today in Washington, D.C. - May 13, 2015::
The House reconvened today at at 10 AM and then recessed until Noon.

Yesterday the House passed the following bills:
S. 665 (Voice Vote) — "To encourage, enhance, and integrate Blue Alert plans throughout the United States in order to disseminate information when a law enforcement officer is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, is missing in connection with the officer's official duties, or an imminent and credible threat that an individual intends to cause the serious injury or death of a law enforcement officer is received, and for other purposes."
S. 1124 (Unanimous consent) — "To amend the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to improve the Act."
H.R. 723 (Voice Vote) — "To provide Capitol-flown flags to the immediate family of fire fighters, law enforcement officers, members of rescue squads or ambulance crews, and public safety officers who are killed in the line of duty."
H.R. 606 (413-0) — "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to exclude certain compensation received by public safety officers and their dependents from gross income."
H.R. 2146(407-5) — "To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow Federal law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers to make penalty-free withdrawals from governmental plans after age 50, and for other purposes."
H.R. 1732 (261 - 155) — "To preserve existing rights and responsibilities with respect to waters of the United States, and for other purposes."

The Senate reconvened at 9:30 AM. Following any Leader remarks, the Senate will be in a period of morning business for one hour, with the Republicans controlling the first half and the Democrats controlling the final half. Following morning business, the Senate will resume consideration of the motion to proceed to H.R.1314, Ensuring Tax Exempt Organizations the Right to Appeal Act the vehicle being used for the Trade Promotion Authority bill.

This afternoon, the Senate will vote on the confirmation of Sally Yates to be Deputy Attorney General.

Yesterday, Senate Democrats filibustered H.R.1314. The bill failed 52-45 to get enough votes to open debate on the bills. The Washington Times reported: "Senate Democrats filibustered Tuesday to block the first major free-trade vote in years, dealing a blow to President Obama and GOP leaders who were pushing a deal in a rare show of bipartisanship, but who once again find themselves struggling with the political fringe."

But today, after negotiations, Democrats dropped the demands they initially cited for the filibuster and agreed to votes on two customs bills tomorrow, followed by a vote to reconsider the cloture vote on the motion to proceed to H.R. 1314.

Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning yesterday responded to the Senate blocking trade authority to President Barack Obama to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell should permanently shelve attempts to grant trade authority to President Obama. With five Republican presidential aspirants all opposed including Rand Paul, there is no reason for McConnell to waste any more of the Senate's time on this issue. This is particularly true given the almost impossible odds fast track now faces in the House of Representatives. It's time to say buh-bye to fast track."

Roll Call reports that Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OE) is demanding, “a guarantee or an agreement that the customs bill, the Trade Promotion Authority bill, the Trade Adjustment Assistance and a three-bill package that includes the African Growth and Opportunity Act, Generalized System of Preferences and reauthorization of a trade program for Haiti move through Congress and become law, his spokesman Keith Chu said.”

Roll Call noted, the customs bill, “would expand the definition of export subsidies to include currency undervaluation by trading partners that causes harm to U.S. companies. The United States would have to impose import duties on goods the Commerce Department identifies as benefiting from the undervaluation.”

Yesterday, The Wall Street Journal editors took President Obama to task for his less-than stellar work on convincing his fellow party members to back his trade agenda.

“The politics of trade require Presidents to cultivate coalitions from the center out, building a majority . . . . But that is not Mr. Obama’s thing. His instincts are to govern from the left, treat Members of Congress as peasants who must bow before his superior wisdom, and then assail the motives and character of his opponents. Mr. Obama’s attack-and-polarize approach worked while he had overwhelming liberal majorities, despite private unrest among Democrats about the White House’s ex-cathedra habits. They didn’t mind when he attacked Republicans as moral cretins and dissemblers. The difference is that on trade Mr. Obama has turned his contempt on Democrats. . . .

“[T]he point is that Presidents are supposed to work toward consensus through argument and persuasion, not ad hominem insults toward lesser political species. No wonder his nominal allies defied his trade instructions on Tuesday.”

As The Journal editors put it, “a Republican salvage operation to rescue Mr. Obama from the consequences of his governing methods” was needed. Sure enough, thanks to an effort by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, an agreement was in fact reached this afternoon to move forward on trade legislation, but only after Democrats dropped the demands they’d used as a pretense to filibuster the bill yesterday.

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