By Stephen Dinan - The Washington Times - Wednesday, June 10, 2015

GOP leaders moved to ban President Obama from negotiating changes to U.S. immigration policy in any new trade deal, working feverishly Wednesday to secure final support as they prepare for a Friday showdown on granting the White House fast-track trade authority.

Rep. Steve King, an Iowa Republican who has made tackling immigration a priority, said he’d struck a deal with House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan to include language in the trade bills that will come to the floor this week that would prevent Mr. Obama and future presidents from dealing with immigration as he negotiates with potential trade partners.

“You cannot put changes in immigration laws in a trade agreement,” Mr. Ryan said.

Immigration has proved to be one of the sticking points for Republicans, who will have to provide most of the votes for Mr. Obama’s top domestic priority of his final years in office.

Mr. Ryan also moved to prohibit Mr. Obama from tackling global warming in trade negotiations.

The dynamics of the trade debate have produced an unholy alliance between Mr. Obama, who’s battling his own party, and Republican leaders, who are trying to give new negotiating authority to a president they don’t trust to follow through on his word.

It’s created a tense situation, with rank-and-file Republicans insisting on changes they hope will keep the president penned in as he tries to negotiate a deal with 11 other Pacific Rim nations.

GOP leaders have scheduled a vote Friday on so-called “fast-track” legislation, or Trade Promotion uthority (TPA), which gives presidents the power to negotiate deals and then submit them to Congress for an up-or-down vote.

Mr. Obama wants the power so he can complete the 12-nation Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).

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