国际英语新闻:Obama: Failed Trade Bill Hurts US Workers

Claude Barfield of the center-right, Washington-based American Enterprise Institute called the results damaging to Obama’s presidency.

“The president has made this his major goal for his second administration," Barfield said. "He’s actually gone all out in terms of lobbying for the bill — some things he has never done before.”

Analysts said the president's visit to the House just hours ahead of the vote was a risky and highly unusual gesture, but Barfield said the defeat was more than just a serious blow to the president: “It would be seen as a setback for the United States' ability to lead, certainly in Asia, and also later in Europe.”

At the daily White House briefing, press secretary Josh Earnest played down the defeat in Congress, calling it a temporary setback. He said the president would continue to aggressively lobby House Democrats, because he believes trade promotion authority is critical to forging TPP and other multinational trade agreements.

'Fast Track'

The fast track authority that was approved Friday would allow the White House to negotiate the 12-nation Asian trade pact and others like it while preventing Congress from making any changes in the deals when they come up for approval or rejection.

Refusal to grant the negotiating authority would make it much more difficult for the administration to secure the TPP deal, which is already years behind schedule.

The countries negotiating the TPP are the United States, Vietnam, Singapore, Peru, New Zealand, Mexico, Malaysia, Japan, Chile, Canada, Brunei, and Australia. The U.S.-led pact aims to cover nearly 40 percent of global economic output when completed.

The White House has said the TPP would help further break down global trade barriers, open untapped markets, and grow the economy, while providing an important counterbalance to the growing economic strength of China.