President Obama's trade agenda survived a bad scare in the House on Thursday when the GOP rule governing debate for the package narrowly survived a 217-212 vote. Thirty-four Republicans voted against the rule, while eight Democrats backed it. A handful of pro-trade Democrats withheld their votes, watching the tally closely from the floor. Then, when it was apparent Republicans would not… Read more »

Plans to vote Friday on Trade Promotion Authority and Trade Adjustment Assistance could still fall through, but the House is moving ahead on a multi-pronged strategy to send the measures to the president’s desk by the week’s end. The House on Thursday voted 217-212 on the rule that sets up votes on a bill to give President Barack Obama latitude to negotiate a 12-nation… Read more »

The Rio Grande Valley will get some extra protection along the Texas-Mexico border with the deployment of Blackhawk helicopters.   U.S. Customs and Border Protection has made a decision to deploy two Blackhawk helicopters — the same ones used by the U.S. military — to the region, officials said.   U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, said the Blackhawk helicopters are expected… Read more »

Hours before one of the most consequential votes of President Barack Obama’s second term — whether to give him fast-track trade powers to clinch a sprawling Pacific Rim trade deal — Democrats and Republicans have no idea whether the votes are there to pass it. What they do know is that pockets of opposition from every corner of the House of Representatives has thrown the package into… Read more »

President Obama’s trade agenda is really hanging in the balance right now, as the bill giving him Fast Track authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal appears balanced on the edge of a knife in the House of Representatives. The latest: Dem Rep. Sander Levin — the ranking Democrat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and a well-respected lawmaker on trade and… Read more »

June 11, 2015 President Obama is heading to the Capitol for a last-ditch effort to save his trade agenda, as two patchwork coalitions are aggressively whipping votes ahead of a suspenseful Friday showdown that features intense intra- and interparty fighting. Obama will arrive on the Hill at 9:30 a.m. to meet with lawmakers, according to a Democratic aide, illustrating the huge… Read more »

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama backs a corporate trade agenda because he no longer lives in the real world, Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) charged Wednesday as Congress was set to take the next steps to give the president fast-track trade authority. Speaking at a press conference with activists and fellow Democrats who want to block Obama's push to sign massive trade pacts with… Read more »

After decades of forbidding foreign law enforcement officers from carrying weapons on Mexican soil, the Mexican government is on the verge of allowing U.S. agents to carry guns in places where they help speed the flow of goods between the two countries. Texas lawmakers are celebrating the move as a significant step toward increasing trade, and say Mexico is also expected to… Read more »

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Regarding recent coverage of the debate in Congress over Trade Promotion Authority: Republican Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz should be applauded for their support of TPA and future trade agreements, which will help made-in-Texas products better compete overseas. Passage of TPA is necessary to move forward on new trade deals that will tear down the high-tariff barriers our… Read more »