The Role of Trade Negotiating Objectives in TPA-2015 Voting

This paper analyzes 2015-TPA voting patterns of Congress in the context of the trade negotiating objectives. By setting them Congress lays out important trade agenda that the administration is expected to address when it is negotiating trade deals with foreign countries. Therefore it is an important part of the TPA. The probit model is used to evaluate the importance of each objective in Congress’s voting decision. The objective of promoting U.S. exports in agriculture, transportation equipment and metal affected the voting decision. Also the issues of labour rights and intellectual property rights mattered.