Senate Advances Trade Promotion Authority Bill
The U.S. Senate approved legislation June 23 that would give President Obama enhanced authority to complete free-trade deals, including a landmark agreement with Pacific nations.
The 60-37 vote approving trade promotion authority, or TPA, paves the way for final passage later this week.
Because the House passed the bill late last week, it would go to the president for his signature if the Senate agrees. The trade legislation is one of Obama’s top second-term goals.
“Now it’s time for the next step,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on the floor before the vote. “Today is a very big vote; it’s an important moment for the country.”
The TPA legislation, also known as fast-track, would let Obama submit agreements to Congress for expedited, up-or-down votes on trade agreements without amendments. His administration hopes to complete a 12-country trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership this year.
McConnell said the process he set up will put several trade bills on the president’s desk before Congress adjourns for a week-long July 4 recess. He said prior to June 23’s vote that Senate will have a final vote on fast-track on Wednesday.
A national business coalition has lobbied hard for the fast-track bill, and the White House took up the fight last year in an unusual alliance with Republican congressional leaders.
Labor groups and many Democrats, who blame the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement for the loss of U.S. manufacturing jobs, are opposing TPA.
The Senate previously passed the fast-track bill on May 23, when it was attached to the renewal of a decades-old worker-aid program called Trade Adjustment Assistance, which some Democrats insisted on as a condition for their vote.
When the bill went to the House, most Democrats rebelled and voted against the worker-aid plan in a bid to derail the fast-track measure. Republican leaders then attached the fast- track provisions to a popular public-safety retirement bill and sent it to the Senate anew for consideration.
The worker-assistance measure is being added to separate legislation, H.R. 1295, which promotes trade with poorer countries. McConnell also added a provision to benefit the steel industry in an effort to solidify bipartisan support.
