Pacific Rim trade pact gets skeptical greeting in U.S. Congress

By Richard Cowan and David Lawder
WASHINGTON, Oct 5 (Reuters) - A 12-nation Pacific Rim trade
pact hammered out over the weekend in Atlanta got a rocky
response in Washington on Monday from U.S. lawmakers, indicating
it has a long, difficult road ahead as Congress considers
whether or not to approve it.
Even influential Republicans, who had championed the
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), initially criticized the result
but didn't pinpoint specific concerns.
"I am afraid this deal appears to fall woefully short," said
Republican Senator Orrin Hatch, who chairs the Senate Finance
Committee that oversees trade.
Earlier this year after a bruising battle, Congress gave
Democratic President Barack Obama the green light to wrap up
talks on the TPP, which would liberalize trade among countries
ranging from Japan to Chile and covering 40 percent of the
world's economy.
Obama had hoped to quickly conclude talks on the agreement
so Congress could review and vote on it before the U.S.
presidential campaigns shifted into full swing. That hope was
dashed by delays around the negotiating table, however.
Now the pact is unlikely to come before Congress for an
up-or-down vote until well into the presidential primaries,
exposing it to the full rhetoric of the campaign season.
Many of Obama's fellow Democrats in Congress and organized
labor fear the trade pact will hurt American jobs.
Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent seeking the
Democratic nomination for president, blasted the agreement
saying, "Wall Street and other big corporations have won again."
Months are likely to go by as the TPP package is finalized,
reviewed and debated by Congress. Under "fast-track" authority
granted by Congress, lawmakers have the power to review the
agreement and cast an up-or-down vote, but not amend it.
Representative Sandy Levin, the senior Democrat on the House
Ways and Means Committee that also oversees trade, warned that a
90-day review period could result in adjustments.
Levin applauded the pact for making progress on worker
rights issues in Vietnam and Malaysia and on tobacco issues. He
added, however, that Mexico must do more to comply with an
existing free-trade deal with the U.S.
The Obama administration is hoping a well-coordinated
campaign over the next several months will convince lawmakers
that the free-trade deal will have more benefits than costs.
Republican Representative Kevin Brady, a senior member of
the Ways and Means Committee, said in a statement: "Done right,
this agreement will open a billion middle class customers to
American goods and services."