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Legislation key to US President Barack Obama's trade agenda has passed a key hurdle in the Senate, just two weeks after it appeared to have failed.
The bill known as the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) or, more commonly, Fast Track, makes it easier for presidents to negotiate trade deals.
Supporters see it as critical to the success of a 12-nation trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
The bill is expected to pass a final vote in the Senate on Wednesday.
Tuesday's 60-37 vote - just barely meeting the required 60 vote threshold - is the result of the combined efforts of the White House and many congressional Republicans to push the bill through Congress, despite the opposition of many Democrats.
This is primarily a tech news site, and it's generally good to avoid political news, but the TPP is a huge trade deal, negotiated in secret, that will have large ramifications for the world economy that affects us all, and that also has large implications for the accountability of major world governments to their citizens.
Original Submission
(Score: 2) by snick on Wednesday June 24 2015, @07:31PM
I don't get why people are saying that Congress isn't asserting itself. Congress IS asserting itself with this move.
By passing fasttrack, they are ensuring that the only ones at the table are the President and the Republican leaders.
Everyone else can go eat a bag of salted dicks, because what the President and Republican leadership agree to will pass. There is no way to block it at this point.
That is pretty assertive.