AT: Filibusters/Republicans

2NC Uniqueness AT: TAA

(Reuters) - Urging U.S. President Barack Obama to send three long-delayed free trade pacts to Congress for approval, 12 Republican senators pledged not to impede a vote on a separate worker retraining bill. The move is aimed at providing assurance to the Obama administration that an extension of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program will get a vote -- and pass -- in the Democratic-controlled Senate when trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama are considered. Republicans in Congress oppose including the retraining provisions in legislation to approve the trade pacts but Obama, a Democrat, has refrained from sending stand-alone bills. "While not going forward with these agreements we're losing market share every day, which means American workers, American farmers, American service providers are losing opportunities." said Rob Portman, a Republican senator and former U.S. Trade Representative. The European Union has had its own free trade pact with South Korea since July 1 and is already seeing double-digit percentage rises in exports to the Asian industrial powerhouse, he said. The White House had hoped to pass all three trade deals before the August break but the disagreement with Republicans over the retraining program has complicated the effort. Many Republicans question the effectiveness of the program and its costs in a difficult budgetary environment. In a letter to Obama, the 12 Republican senators -- including Portman and Roy Blunt of Missouri -- said they would not join any effort to block consideration or a final vote on the bill. The pledge means Democrats could easily secure the 60 votes needed in the 100-seat Senate to fend off any procedural challenges. Passage of a separate extension of the retraining program may be more difficult in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. An Obama administration official called the pledge a "welcome development" but repeated statements that more specifics were needed from House and Senate leaders to secure passage of the three trade agreements and the retraining bill. Trade Adjustment Assistance is a nearly 50-year-old retraining and income assistance program for workers who have lost jobs because of foreign competition. Many Republicans object to the White House plan to include an extension of the program in the implementing legislation for the South Korea trade agreement, instead of allowing lawmakers a separate vote. Democrats view the program as a vital part of the U.S. social safety net and fear the extension will be killed by Senate opponents if not shielded by the South Korean pact.

SKFTA will pass soon after August recess with TAA bill attachment

North Dakota Ag Connection, 7/25/11 (“Senators Work to Advance Pending Trade Agreements”, http://www.northdakotaagconnection.com/story-state.php?Id=690, 7/28/11)

Senator John Hoeven and 11 other Republican senators worked last week to advance pending trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama. In a letter to President Barack Obama, the 12 senators urged the Administration to forward the agreements to the U.S. Congress for approval. In return, the senators agreed to give the Trade Adjustment Assistance bill, which the president has linked to the trade agreements, a separate up or down vote. Although the Administration won't send the agreements to Congress prior to the August recess, Senator Hoeven believes the way is now cleared for the president to send them right after the recess. The senators have committed to supporting cloture on the motion to proceed to the TAA bill and the bill itself. The bill now reflects bipartisan reforms negotiated by the White House as well as U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Ways & Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.). This commitment should provide enough votes to ensure the reformed TAA bill can pass the Senate.

KORUS will pass despite TAA fights

SKFTA will pass in September- Deal over TAA already in place

Section: General News - The top U.S. trade official predicted confidently Tuesday that Congress will pass free trade agreements (FTAs) with South Korea, Colombia and Panama in September. In a speech at a Bretton Woods Committee meeting, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said a "framework" for a deal on the controversial Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) is already in place. President Barack Obama is pushing to renew the worker aid program. He included the TAA in an implementing bill on the FTA with South Korea. But congressional Republicans, opposed to the extension of the TAA, call for a separate approach. "We believe we have a framework for an agreement that will allow us very quickly when Congress convenes in September to approve and have a vote on Trade Adjustment Assistance and allow us to move forward with passage of the free trade agreements at the same time," he said, according to his office. Kirk did not elaborate. Obama initially sought to win ratification of the long-pending FTAs before Congress enters summer recess on Aug. 5. But he has been preoccupied with a partisan fight over federal debt limit. Kirk's comments marked the first formal confirmation by a top government official of a new strategy to seek the ratification of the FTAs when lawmakers return in September after a month-long break.