TPA snafu a blow not just to Obama but also American national interests

US President Barack Obama and his ambitious trade agenda were dealt a political blow last Friday when Democrats in the House of Representatives blocked a move to grant the president trade promotion authority (TPA) that would have allowed him to conclude negotiations over the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement.

The House approved the proposed TPA legislation, aka "fast track", in a 211-219 vote on Friday. But members of Mr Obama's own political party, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Representative from California, ended up forcing the TPA bill into a legislative limbo, raising doubts that it will be approved by the entire Congress and signed by the president.

The Democratic lawmakers helped derail the passage of the TPA by setting a legislative trap for Mr Obama in the House when they helped defeat in a 302-126 vote a version of the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) bill that was passed in the Senate. This is a programme designed to help workers displaced by trade that the Democrats have supported in the past.