President Barack Obama Will Come to Portland May 7

President Barack Obama will make a rare appearance in Portland next week.

The president is scheduled to arrive on Thursday, May 7, for a 5 pm fundraiser for the 2016 White House Victory Fund.

The event will be held at the Sentinel Hotel, according to a copy of the invitation. The fundraiser is sponsored by the Democratic National Committee and tickets are priced between $500 and $10,000.

The president may also hit a hot-button policy issue—the Trans-Pacific Partnership—while he is here. The TPP is a controversial free-trade proposal that Obama's been working on for six years and says he wants to complete in 2015. 

Like other such arrangements, such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the TPP hold the promise of job growth and economic expansion. Critics say such deals export American jobs and disproportionately benefit large, multi-national corporations. 

The TPP is a relatively rare issue in that it divides Democrats in Oregon's congressional delegation: U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden supports the agreement; while U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley does not. The state's two longest serving House members—U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), a longtime NAFTA critic is skeptical of the proposed new agreement, while U.S. Rep Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) has joined Wyden in expressing support.

WWeek 2015