President Obama used a joint press conference with Singapore’s prime minister on Tuesday to make a final public appeal for the United States to ratify the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, despite opposition from Hillary Clinton and much of the Democratic Party.
"Right now I’m president, and I’m for it," Obama told reporters. And I think I’ve got the better argument. I’ve made this argument before. I’ll make it again. We are part of a global economy. We’re not reversing that."
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong urged the U.S. to maintain its "indispensable role" in the Asia Pacific by ratifying the 12-nation deal of Pacific Rim countries during remarks at the White House celebrating the 50th anniversary of U.S. diplomatic relations with Singapore.
"Not only will the TPP benefit American workers and businesses, it will send a clear signal and a vital signal that America will continue to lead in the Asia Pacific and enhance the partnerships that link our destinies together," Lee said.
The U.S. and Singapore are among the 12 signatories to the trade partnership that would link nearly 40 percent of the global economy and enable the U.S. to establish strategic ties in Asia. Obama remained confident that Congress would approve the landmark pact before he leaves office in January.
"We stand together for a regional order where every nation large and small plays and trades by the same rules," Obama said.
While the Obama administration has actively campaigned for the passage of TPP, many of his fellow Democrats, including the party’s presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, are opposed to the deal.
The resistance from Democratic lawmakers, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.), threatens to derail Obama’s aim to pass TPP before his presidency comes to a close.
Clinton reaffirmed her opposition to the trade deal at last week’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, amid campaign efforts to appeal to supporters of Sanders.
The White House is hoping the lame-duck session of Congress after the Nov. 8 elections will offer one last opportunity for the deal’s passage. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said last month that the chances for a deal this year were "pretty slim."
The White House has promoted the deal as a safeguard against China, which is pursuing a separate regional trade pact in Asia, and the president acknowledged Tuesday that globalization has left some workers behind.
"The answer isn’t to turn inward and embrace protectionism," Obama told the Strait Times, a Singapore newspaper. "We can’t just walk away from trade. In a global economy where our economies and supply chains are deeply integrated, it’s not even possible."