House passes Trade Adjustment Assistance bill

WASHINGTON, June 25 (UPI) -- The House passed legislation Thursday aiding American workers losing jobs through increased international trade, an adjunct to a sweeping Pacific Rim trade deal.

The aid program, known as Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA), was attached to a bill giving trade preferences to sub-Saharan African countries, and passed the House by 286-138. Two weeks ago it was separated from a bill expanding the president's authority to negotiate trade deals, notably the Trans-Pacific Partnership, eagerly sought by the Obama administration, with Pacific Rim countries.

As separate bills, the measures passed the Senate and the House, and await President Obama's signature. The fast-track trade bill will enable the president to submit potential deals to Congress for a simple yes-or-no vote. Many House Democrats were reluctant to approve the TAA bill until it was separated from the fast-track measure. Two weeks ago they voted against it to stall the bill expanding the president's negotiating authority.

U.S. steel companies and steelworkers, facing a flood of imports, were particularly eager to see the assistance bill pass.

The legislation also includes a 10-year extension of a program that will give sub-Saharan African countries duty-free access to U.S. markets, a cornerstone of the United States' business relations with Africa.