Senate Finance Committee Chair Baucus Said He Intends to Mark Up Trade Promotion Authority Bill “Soon”
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) said yesterday that he intends to mark up the trade promotion authority (TPA) bill “soon” after Congress returns from the Martin Luther King Day one-week break, according to the Washington Trade Daily (WTD).
After a hearing on TPA, Baucus said he is not certain whether to hold a hearing at which Obama administration officials would testify before holding the markup. Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (D-UT) said U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman declined to testify at the hearing, WTD said. “If the administration does not get more involved in this effort to pass trade negotiating authority, we’re not going to be successful. It’s just that simple,” Hatch said. Meanwhile, Froman has been spending time on Capitol Hill urging members to support TPA.
