Report
Another Setback for TPP, Republicans Say No TPP Without TPA First
posted by Richard Katz on July 18, 2014
Found in Japan, categorized in International Trade and Investment
Report Cover
Headline
The longer it takes to conclude a pact, the lower the probability that it will ever be concluded
Abstract
Congressional Republican say they will not vote for TPP without Congressional approval of “fast-track” (TPA) first
This effectively precludes any TPP agreement in 2014, despite Obama’s call for agreement by the November 10-11 APEC summit just after the US Congressional elections
Congressional Democrats as well as Republican rank-and-file voters oppose both Fast-Track and TPP
Meanwhile, the Ottawa negotiations produced no breakthrough, and not even a date for the next round of negotiations or for a meeting of Trade Ministers
Japanese sources claim Washington is now stalling because of the US elections
Even if this is just another case of Tokyo wanting to blame Washington via false charges, it does indicate that there is a stall
If no agreement is reached in 2015, it cannot be reached in 2016 when there are elections in both the Us and Japan
The longer it takes to reach agreement, the lower the probability that it will ever be reached