Obama Administration May Hold Up trade Pacts Unless Republicans Agree to Extend Assistance to Workers

By ELIZABETH WILLIAMSON

“WAShINGTON—Senior Obama administration officials will demand Republicans forge an agreement to extend assistance to workers displaced by trade agreements before the White House moves ahead on pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama.

The move, expected in a call Monday morning, sets up the latest game of partisan brinksmanship in passing the agreements. But some Democratic leaders say that without renewal of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program, the three pacts will not garner enough support from pro-labor Democrats to pass, particularly in the fractious Senate.

The administration could hold up from sending final-draft agreements to Congress for passage unless officials are assured of a deal.

Some Republicans object to the TAA program’s cost, calling it a long-term entitlement program. The administration and some rust-belt Republicans view the assistance as important for workers in states dominated by manufacturing.”

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