Obama makes pitch to win support for Pacific trade pact
US President Barack Obama kicked off a sales pitch on October 6 for a 12-nation Pacific Rim trade agreement, urging farmers to push their lawmakers to approve what he said would boost their sales in a fast-growing region.
Although ultimate winners and losers from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) are still unclear, some Republicans are worried about its impact on industries including dairy, tobacco and pharmaceuticals, highlighting the battle ahead to win votes.
Obama was upbeat about winning support in the Republican-controlled Congress for the pact, which was announced early October 5.
"Ultimately we’re going to get this done, and it will be an enormous achievement for us to be able to make sure that 40% of the world’s economy is operating under rules that don’t hurt us," Obama told agricultural and business leaders gathered at the US Agriculture Department.
The White House said it was the first in a series of public appearances for Obama on the issue. He needs to garner enough support from Republicans to overcome skepticism from members of his own party.
Early reaction from lawmakers was not encouraging, although they stressed they were waiting on details.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell saw "a number of troubling parts" in the deal, and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch said the administration could lose "quite a few" Republican votes.
Hatch said it was a mistake that US negotiators had not secured a minimum 12-year monopoly for the manufacturers of next-generation biological drugs and held out the option of trying to re-open the deal.
North Carolina Senator Richard Burr who, like McConnell, comes from a tobacco-growing state was upset by rules targeting tobacco companies' ability to take legal action over anti-smoking laws.
Farmers and key business groups have yet to give their verdict on the deal.
But Obama spoke directly to farmers in a radio program carried on almost 400 stations in the US Midwest, pledging the deal would be a "boon" for selling more beef in Japan and Vietnam. He asked for help selling the TPP to lawmakers.