The American Soybean Association (ASA) welcomed passage this afternoon of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015, which would extend trade promotion authority, or fast track authority, to President Barack Obama. The passage comes at a critical time, as the United States moves to finalize negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership and approaches a potential agreement with the European Union, however the bill will not move to the president’s desk until conflicts over Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) are ironed out. ASA President Wade Cowan, a soybean farmer from Brownfield, Texas, noted that the passage of the bill provides certainty for producers of the nation’s largest farm export, but means nothing if TAA isn’t resolved in a way that allows the bill to move forward:

“The vote by the House today is an absolute win for soybean farmers in the United States, but it only gets us halfway to our goal without a compromise on TAA. Since 2007, our negotiators have been without the biggest weapon in their arsenal, and they’ve still done an exceptional job of representing American interests abroad. Now, we’re one step away from equipping them with the most important tool to establish and expand our role in the international agricultural trade. TPA has always been step one as we look to forge strong agreements that help to make American agriculture—and soybean farmers in particular—so competitive in international markets.

“The House’s disagreements over trade adjustment assistance threaten to stand in the way of the fast track authority we need to finalize an agreement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership that includes vital export markets for U.S. soybeans and meat products, as well as the developing markets that grow in their demand for American soy every day. With an administration empowered by TPA, we can also participate fully in the active crafting of agreements between the world’s major traders that has been going on—largely without us—since TPA lapsed in 2007.

“Soybean farmers and indeed all of American agriculture has a critical stake in the global farm trade, and the House is to be commended for its work today, which helps to protect that stake. We call on Democrats and Republicans in the House to come together and resolve their differences on TAA so we can get back to the business of building strong relationships between American farmers and customers around the world.”