On Friday, August 12, the Obama Administration submitted a draft statement of administrative action (SAA) on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) to the Congress. The move is the latest step that needs to be taken to comply with the terms and timeline of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which governs how Congress considers free trade agreements, like the TPP. At least 30 calendar days before submitting the actual implementing bill for the TPP, the Administration needs to provide a draft SAA, outlining the various significant administration actions that need to be taken to implement the TPP. The last formal step taken before today was the submission of the economic analysis in May by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). Today’s submission of the draft SAA means that the earliest the TPP Implementing Bill can be submitted to the Congress is Sunday, September 11. Conventional wisdom suggests, however, that no implementing bill will be submitted until there is more certainty that a vote can prevail.
