W.H.: Trade Defeat Another ‘Procedural SNAFU’

EARNEST: "I also feel a little like Yogi Berra. I'm tempted to walk out here and say that it's déjà vu over again! Many of you who are frequent visitors of this briefing room, will recall that on May 12th, I walked out here prepared to answer your questions about how the Democratic leader of a body of Congress had handed the president a substantial legislative defeat on a significant policy priority that the president had identified. 

And I'm walking out here on June 12th prepared to answer your questions about your perception that the Democratic leader of a body of Congress has handed the president a legislative defeat on a priority. At the time, you'll recall, that I colorfully described the situation as a legislative procedural SNAFU. 

To the surprise of very few, another procedural SNAFU has emerged. These kind of entanglements are endemic to the House of Representatives and I say that as somebody who does not have a lot of experience in watching the floor of the House. But the president is determined, and I think as was evident from his visit to Capitol Hill this morning, to build a bipartisan majority, to make sure that we're living up to our commitment as Democrats to fight for middle class families. That's the reason the president is in this office. 

As the president pointed out rather forcefully in the Democratic caucus today, he wasn't elected by the Chamber of Commerce. He was not endorsed by the NFIB. The president is the President of the United States today because of his commitment to fight for working families and to expand the economic opportunity for middle class families. That's the reason he got this job in the first place. That's the reason he was reelected in this office three years ago, and it's what he's going to continue to keep at the top of his agenda for the next 18 months. 

And if we're going to walk the walk when it comes to those progressive values, it's going to be important for Democrats and Republicans to come together around trade adjustment assistance. This is a program that will  lapse on September 30th. That's a problem because Republicans have traditionally opposed to trade adjustment assistance and as everybody knows, Republicans enjoy significant majorities in both the House and the Senate. 

So if Democrats want to make sure that we're looking after the interests of the middle class families, we need to make sure that this trade adjustment assistance doesn't lapse. The good news is, we're not just going to extend the program. We're going to significantly expand it. The proposal that's before the House right now would nearly double that program in size. And according to an analysis that's been put up by the White House today this is actually a program that will benefit 100,000 American workers each year for the next six years. 

That is a substantial benefit to middle class families that are willing to go and make sure that they can get the training and skills they need to go and compete for good middle class jobs. That's always been at the top of president's domestic  policy making agenda and it is today. And we're going to continue to make that case in the House to build a bipartisan majority in the House for that legislation."