President Obama makes push for trade agenda

President Obama is hawking his trade agenda to a broader audience outside of Washington in hopes of building support in Congress. 

The president on Wednesday released a two-minute video detailing the benefits of forging global trade agreements, arguing that the pacts will help boost U.S. exports and economic growth. 

{mosads}He is urging congressional lawmakers to approve trade promotion authority — also known as fast-track — that would smooth passage of any trade deals that reach Capitol Hill, such as a massive agreement with Asian and Latin American nations. 

“Trade has an important role to play in supporting good-paying, middle-class jobs in the United States,” the president said in an email.

“Unfortunately, past trade deals haven’t always lived up to the hype. That’s why I’ve made it clear that I won’t sign any agreement that doesn’t put American workers first.”

So far, his trade message has landed with a thud among many Democrats on Capitol Hill as well as with labor, environment and religious groups who say the current deals, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), are just a continuation of the bad trade policy of the past that led to job and wage losses. 

But, for the president, the deals are a must for the U.S. to grab a foothold in Asia and other parts of the world.

“For the sake of our businesses, and American workers, it’s an opportunity we need to take,” he said.

“But beyond greater access to the world’s fastest-growing region, the [TPP] agreement will establish enforceable commitments to protect labor, environmental, and other crucial standards that Americans hold dear.”

The president argued that without action China will write the rules for trade in Asia, which will hurt U.S. interests in the region.

“If it succeeds, our competitors would be free to ignore basic environmental and labor standards, giving them an unfair advantage over American workers,” he said.

“We can’t let that happen. We should write the rules, and level the playing field for our middle class.”

As the president and his Cabinet fan out around the country to convince Americans to back the trade deals, lawmakers who support trade are reaching out to TPP partners.

A congressional delegation led by House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) is on a three-country tour of Asia — Singapore, Malaysia and Japan — to press for a TPP agreement.