Of Course President Obama is ‘Confident’ TPP Will Pass GOP-Controlled Congress

At a joint press conference with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan Tuesday afternoon, President Obama continued to press the case for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, and the Trade Promotion Authority bill that he needs to complete it. Facing strong opposition from within his own party, President Obama took pains to clarify several points about the deal, and notably refrained from taking the same kinds of hard shots at his opponents that have characterized the recent debate over the deal.

First, President Obama stole one of Prime Minister Abe’s questions to dispel the notion that the only reason, or even a main reason, for entering into the TPP is to prevent China from running roughshod in the region. “I’ve been very clear that TPP is good for American businesses and American workers, regardless of what China is doing,” Obama said, adding that “this is not simply a defensive agreement, this is something that is going to be part and parcel of our broader economic agenda moving forward. And when 95 percent of the world’s markets are outside our shores, we’ve got to make sure that we’re out there competing.”

Later in the presser, President Obama was asked if he had confidence that TPP could pass Congress, and he responded by more gently poking critics like Elizabeth Warren, who have decried the “secrecy” of the deal, and expressed confidence that it would ultimately pass…READ MORE

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