Twelve groups to watch in trade fight

Business and labor groups are putting a full-court press on lawmakers ahead of a House vote on granting President Obama fast-track authority to negotiate trade deals.

A vote on fast-track, also called trade promotion authority (TPA), could come as early as Thursday, and both sides are leaving no stone unturned in their lobbying blitz.

{mosads}Business groups and the president say fast-track is essential to securing the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. But unions and green groups are pushing back, saying the deal will cost American jobs and could roll back environmental and labor protections.

The fight has split congressional Democrats from the president, who has struggled to sell his party on his trade agenda. On the GOP side, House leaders face a tough sell with conservatives, who are reluctant to expand Obama’s powers.

Here are 12 groups raising pressure on lawmakers in the trade fight:

Trade supporters

Chamber of Commerce: The nation’s most powerful business lobby has launched a massive lobbying effort to win support for fast-track. But many question if the group will be effective in winning over Democrats. The Chamber has held over 50 events with lawmakers in their districts and its grassroots efforts led to 100,000 calls and letters to Congress in late May. A website also highlights exports by congressional district.

The Business Roundtable: The group, which represents corporate CEOs, is spearheading the Trade Benefits America coalition. The effort includes other groups, including the Chamber. The coalition is organizing events with lawmakers and spending over $1 million to push fast-track.

TechAmerica: The voice of nearly 2,000 technology companies, the group says fast-track is crucial to opening up new markets for Silicon Valley, particularly in Asia. TechAmerica said in a policy briefing that American tech firms “export over $501 billion of technology goods and services.”

National Retail Federation: The retail lobby says nearly 6.9 million U.S. retail and restaurant jobs are supported by trade. The NRF is pressing lawmakers on social media, using #tpa4USjobs to highlight benefits from trade to undecided lawmakers. The NRF spent $1.4 million on lobbying during the first quarter of 2015, including on trade issues.

National Association of Manufacturers: The voice of manufacturers began running ads in 2014 pressing lawmakers to approve fast-track. It has ramped up those efforts through its @ShopFloorNAM Twitter handle, encouraging members to call lawmaker offices and push for TPA.

National Federation of Independent Business: The small-business lobby says it doesn’t have a stance on TPA, but has said the Pacific trade deal would help small businesses. “If President Obama can get this fast-track authority needed under the Trade Promotion Authority bill, small businesses would have increased access to Asia, a region of growing economic importance and a hefty consumer base,” the NFIB said in a post online. The group did call out the AFL-CIO on Twitter, citing the labor group’s efforts to pressure Democrats to block TPA.

Trade critics

AFL-CIO: The nation’s largest union is holding labor events around the U.S. and has launched a massive advertising blitz. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka has warned Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton that the group could sit out the 2016 campaign if she backs a trade deal. The AFL-CIO is also pressuring House lawmakers, running a classified ad seeking a lawmaker “with a backbone,” in TPA supporter Rep. Ami Bera’s (D-Calif.) district. Another six-figure ad buy attacks Rep. Kathleen Rice (D-N.Y.), asking why voters should ever trust her again after she backed fast-track.

Democracy for America: The progressive group launched a petition urging opposition to fast-track. Ahead of the Senate vote, the group targeted Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), writing to 25,000 of his supporters and suggesting he should face a primary election challenge for backing fast-track.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation: The digital rights group found an early text of the TPP in 2013 from Wikileaks and publicized the document, criticizing the trade deal as being negotiated in “near total secrecy.” The group is urging opposition to TPA, claiming it could let Hollywood and other content providers place “restrictive controls on the Internet.”

Sierra Club: The green group says fast track would undermine environmental protections. “Fast-track is the wrong track for Americans who care about the health of our families and access to clean air, clean water, and land,” said Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune. The group is also participating in rallies, including one in Rice’s district, and a local chapter will take part in a protest outside House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) home office.

National Resources Defense Council: Another conservation group, the NRDC is also urging supporters to contact lawmakers and urge opposition to fast-track. The group is also pushing for enforcement of prior environmental measures in trade deals, sending a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman. The group also is warning supporters that the Pacific trade deal could allow corporations to challenge environmental laws outside U.S. courts.

Credo Action: The liberal advocacy group is among those pressuring Clinton to oppose Obama’s trade agenda. Murshed Zaheed, the group’s deputy political director, told The Hill trade is the “first pass/fail test of her candidacy.” The group says it has delivered over 1 million petition signatures and encouraged over 30,000 calls to lawmakers’ offices to oppose fast-track.

This story was updated on June 10 at 11:44 a.m.