WASHINGTON – Speaker Paul Ryan says the House will not vote this year on the sweeping Asia-Pacific trade deal backed by President Barack Obama.
The Wisconsin Republican is a longtime proponent of free trade, but he says Obama made mistakes in negotiating the deal with 11 other countries and that there aren’t the votes for it.
Ryan told radio host Jay Weber on WISN radio in Wisconsin: “I don’t see any way in which that would be done.”
Obama used a news conference this week to talk up chances for the Trans-Pacific Partnership even though it is opposed by most congressional Democrats and both major presidential candidates. Speculation has centered on passage during Congress’ lame-duck session in November.
WASHINGTON – U.S. employers added a healthy 255,000 jobs in July, a sign of confidence in the economy that will likely ease concerns about signs of weak growth in the midst of the presidential race.
The unemployment rate remained a low 4.9 percent, the government said Friday in its monthly jobs report. Many more Americans began looking for a job, and nearly all were hired. But the influx of job seekers meant that the number of unemployed fell only slightly.
The figures suggest that employers were unfazed by either Britain’s late-June vote to quit the European Union or the U.S. economy’s tepid growth in the first half of the year: Just 1 percent at an annual rate. Most analysts expect the solid hiring to fuel an economic rebound in the second half of this year, with more paychecks and higher pay fueling spending and growth.
Associated Press
