Tech groups urge House to resolve trade fight

Tech groups are urging the House to find a way to rescue a trade package after it was blocked in a dramatic vote on Friday.

The House voted down Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) to help displaced workers while passing trade promotion authority (TPA) for President Obama. But the bills are packaged together, so until the House signs off on TAA, the White House won’t get fast-track authority.

“This has been a vigorous debate and we are closer to seeing TPA passed into law if the House finishes the job at hand,” said Dean Garfield, the president of the Information Technology Industry Council, in a statement.

{mosads}The software group BSA said that it was encouraging lawmakers “to focus on working out an agreement on Trade Adjustment Assistance.”

Large tech companies support the trade bill, in part, because it would create new measures relating to the way data is governed when it crosses borders.

“IBM is encouraged by the bipartisan cooperation that resulted in the House’s passage today of trade promotion authority,” said Christopher Padilla, IBM’s vice president of government and regulatory affairs. “Now we urge leaders in Congress to resolve their remaining differences over Trade Adjustment Assistance and pass a trade package next week that positions America to compete successfully in the global digital economy.”

Tech groups and smaller companies who are opposed to the deal because they think it would have a detrimental effect on user privacy and free speech hailed the result of the vote.

“Today, the Internet wins again,” said Evan Greer, campaign director of Internet freedom group Fight for the Future.