Clinton: Would Vote Against TPA if a Senator

If she were still a senator, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton says she would probably vote against Trade Promotion Authority.

“At this point, probably not because it’s a process vote and I don’t want to say it’s the same as [Trans-Pacific Partnership],” Clinton told Jon Ralston on “Ralston Reports” when asked if as a senator she would vote for TPA.

“Right now I’m focused on making sure we get trade adjustment assistance and I certainly would not vote for it unless I were absolutely confident we would get trade adjustment assistance,” she added.

While voicing support for the trade effort as Obama’s secretary of state, Clinton has been coy about her position on Obama’s trade push as a presidential candidate.

Her comments in the Thursday interview came after the House narrowly approved TPA — which would grant the president “fast-track” authority to negotiate trade deals like the 12 nation Trans-Pacific Partnership —  on a vote of 218-208.

The House is slated to consider TAA, a provision to provide assistance provision to displaced workers, at a later date.

The trade effort now returns to the Senate, where Senate Democrats are wary of voting to grant fast-track authority without the TAA portion attached to the legislative package.

The Senate is slated to vote next week on TPA.