White House Hits Back At Boehner Call for Hillary Clinton's Help on Trade
White House Spokesman Josh Earnest criticized House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, on May 5 over Boehner’s recent suggestion that President Barack Obama needs Hillary Clinton to help pass Trade Promotion Authority. Earnest spoke at his daily press conference. Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president in 2016, fought for the Trans-Pacific Partnership during her tenure as Secretary of State, at one point calling it the “gold standard” of future trade.
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Boehner said Obama needs Clinton "in order get Democrat votes in the House and Senate to get this passed,” while Speaking on Meet The Press on May 3 (here). Republicans will still provide the “bulk of the votes,” but the GOP caucus in both chambers needs Democratic votes to ultimately pass the legislation, said Boehner.
Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., became the first GOP Senator to denounce the bill on May 4, and experts expect a few other Senate Republicans to defect (see 1505040066). House predictions vary widely, although some observers think only a few dozen Republicans will vote against the bill (see 1504270008). Earnest laid out the administration's case for TPA in the May 5 briefing, as he's done repeatedly over recent months. Obama continues to push Democrats to jump on board the bill, he said.