by staff LISTEN: World of Agriculture 7-28-16
With both Presidential Candidates openly against the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the trade deal could be facing an increasing uphill battle towards getting congressional approval.
At the Democratic National Convention this week, chants broke out of ?No TPP? while Bernie Sanders was speaking Monday. The same day his party approved its platform which is formally against the trade agreement. Hilary Clinton previously favored TPP while serving as Secretary of State for President Obama, but she changed her stance since beginning her campaign.
Republican Candidate Donald Trump also opposed the deal in its current state.
Senator Chuck Grassley says in order for TPP to move forward, President Obama would have to act now.
?If it?s after January 20th of next year and nothing is done by then, Congress cannot act under TPA until it?s submitted to congress by the President. If you have a President who is never going to submit it to congress it won?t come up for a vote. It has to be presented to congress 90 days before we can vote on and with President Obama wanting it as part of his legacy, he would have to submit right in the middle of the Democratic Convention.?
Grassley adds President Obama will not do that for fear of ruining Hilliary Clinton?s campaign.
Farm groups favoring the deal are pressing Congress to consider the measure after the November elections. However, Politico says all of the anti-trade campaigning makes it exceedingly difficult to get TPP through an already wary Congress, making passage not impossible but very unlikely.
