TAA or “Trade Adjustment Assistance” was a legislative package attached to the “fast track” portion of legislation for President Obama’s Trans-Pacific Trade Agreement Authority.

In essence, TAA was a provision to provide financial assistance for any displaced U.S. workers who were negatively affected by any trade agreement. TAA was attached to the Senate’s bill for “fast track trade authority” which lowers the threshold for Senatorial Consent on any Obama trade deal. TAA was basically attached to, packaged with, TPA to get more support the fast track measure.

However, TAA failed to pass (126-yea, 302-nay):

WASHINGTON […] Only 40 Democrats backed TAA while 144 voted against it. On the GOP side, 158 Republicans voted “no” while 86 Republicans voted “yes.”

The vote against TAA is a humiliating defeat for Obama, who had spent weeks lobbying House Democrats to support his trade agenda in the face of overwhelming opposition from liberal groups and organized labor.

Under the procedure established for considering the trade package, TAA had been packaged with fast-track authority, and a vote against either doomed the total package.

In a slight surprise, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced after the TAA vote that the House would still vote on the fast-track measure, as well as a separate customs bill. (link)

Shortly after the vote concluded, Trey Gowdy announced that the House would still move for a vote on TPA. That measure just passed 219-211.

However, even with the TPA (fast track) approval, the bill can’t move forward without all of its internal provisions winning approval.  Consequently, the bill is in limbo unless the House can reconsider TAA and try to pass it again.

But the size of the margin on TAA’s defeat (126-302) makes any reconsideration seem extremely implausible.