The U.S. House of Representatives last Thursday took the first step toward resuscitating the White House’s trade agenda by passing legislation granting President Obama fast-track authority to negotiate a mammoth Pacific trade deal, reviving the prospects for the President to achieve a key element of his agenda.

The House vote was 218-208, with 28 Democrats in favor and 50 Republicans opposed.

The Senate was expected to vote the following week on the legislation, when it is also expected to take up a trade assistance measure aimed at winning over Democrats in a separate vote.

Democrats in the prior week dealt a severe blow to the President’s trade agenda when they voted against a key trade program that provides assistance to displaced workers, called Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). Democrats generally back aid to workers, but voted TAA down because it was tied to the fast-track measure.

This renewed push does not include the TAA provision, but promises a vote to extend the program, which expires in September.

The measure would grant Obama and the next president what is known as Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), allowing the White House to fast-track through Congress a string of enormous trade pacts. That includes the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement with 11 other nations along the Pacific, a deal that would affect 40 percent of the global economy.

The TPP free-trade agreement has divided the White House, which is aggressively pushing the agreement, which promises substantial duty relief, as necessary to maintain its status as the world's leader and ensure economic growth. Many congressional Democrats fear it would endanger American jobs and undermine labor and environmental standards.

The outcome of the bill in the Senate remains uncertain. Many of the 14 Senate Democrats who have already voted for the trade package are withholding their support until guarantees are secured that the TAA provision will also be passed in the House.

“We are committed to ensuring both TPA and TAA get votes in the House and Senate and are sent to the President for signature,” issued House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in a joint statement Wednesday. “And it is our intent to have a conference on the customs bill and complete that in a timely manner so that the President can sign it into law.”

Boehner and McConnell struck a compromise to link TAA with an uncontroversial bill extending the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) for 10 years, which has typically passed without much opposition.

House leaders hope that Democrats will be convinced to support worker protections if they know that the trade bill will move forward with or without them. It is unclear whether TPA will have enough support from Senate Democrats to withstand a filibuster now that it is a standalone bill.

The industry’s trade groups uniformly support TPP passage. The OIA (Outdoor Industry Association) has said the passage will lower the disproportionately high import taxes assessed on outdoor products not made in the U.S., break down trade barriers to support export growth, and includes protections around labor and environmental standards.

Juanita Duggan, president and CEO of the American Apparel and Footwear Association, last week urged the Senate to also support the House-approved TPA bill.

“The U.S. can’t afford to sit on the sidelines as other countries negotiate and sign free trade agreements,” Duggan said. “We also urge the Congress to complete work on the trade preferences bill as soon as possible.”

FDRA President Matt Priest said the U.S. footwear industry paid $2.7 billion in duties last year – more than $450 million from TPP partner countries alone. Added Priest, “FDRA has worked for years to highlight the hundreds of thousands of U.S. footwear jobs that rely on our ability to move goods all over the world, with trade supporting one in five jobs in America. As this legislation heads back to the Senate, FDRA will continue to lead the charge with congressional leaders to share our story and explain how TPA and the Trans-Pacific Partnership will strengthen and expand these jobs throughout the U.S.”

“Retailers applaud the House for approving a standalone Trade Promotion Authority bill that paves the way to economic growth by providing American consumers and businesses with access to new markets,” said Hun Quach, VP for international trade at RILA (Retailers Industry Leaders Association). “TPA will ensure the Administration brings home trade agreements that create new opportunities for American businesses and bolsters U.S. competitiveness around the world.”

David French, SVP for government relations at the NRF (National Retail Federation), added that the TPA will grant Congress “new powers and responsibilities to craft and monitor our 21st century trade policy,” and help support negotiating efforts around the pending and future trade agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

“We urge the Senate to quickly consider the stand-alone TPA bill so it can move to the president’s desk for his signature,” said French. “They should also finish work on other trade-related bills, including trade adjustment assistance and customs and preferences. The world is watching the U.S. Congress and our nation’s commitment to free and open trade.”