Thread: Fast-Track Trade Bill Survives Key Senate Vote

Fast-Track Trade Bill Survives Key Senate Vote

Measure one step closer to passage; difficult path expected in the House

ENLARGE
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell talks about the trade bill on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday. PHOTO: MICHAEL REYNOLDS/EUROPEAN PRESSPHOTO AGENCY


By WILLIAM MAULDIN And
KRISTINA PETERSON
May 21, 2015 11:00 a.m. ET COMMENTS

WASHINGTON—Divisive trade legislation survived a key vote in the Senate on Thursday, bringing the measure one step closer to what’s expected to be a more difficult path in the House next month.

The so-called fast track bill, which President Barack Obama wants in order to finish up and enact a sweeping Pacific trade agreement, cleared a Senate procedural vote 62-38, a narrower margin than last week, when a procedural move to advance the bill won 65 votes.

Republicans widely support fast track, which could pave the way this year for a congressional vote—without amendments or procedural delays—on the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement with Japan and 10 other nations.

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Thursday’s vote is the latest barometer of fast track’s popularity, which faces wavering support among a handful of key Democrats, and the first key test since Sen. Maria Cantwell (D., Wash.) sought to tie the measure’s advancement to the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank.

This week Ms. Cantwell, who backed the bill in committee, said she wouldn’t vote to move it further through the Senate unless Republican leaders advance legislation to renew the bank, which provides financing and credit guarantees to exporters, led by BoeingCo., which has a manufacturing base in Washington state.

On Thursday morning Ms. Cantwell, along with Democratic Sens. Patty Murray, of Washington, and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota met with Senate GOP leaders. Ms. Cantwell said they were “trying” to strike a deal over the Export-Import Bank, but hadn’t gotten any assurances both chambers would vote on reauthorizing the agency before it expires at the end of June.

“We just want a vote in both the House and the Senate before the bank expires,” Ms. Cantwell said as she left Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office.

Democrats said Thursday that Mr. McConnell had agreed to hold a vote in June over the Export-Import Bank.

Supporters of the fast track bill will still need to steer the measure past other procedural hurdles as well.

Last week Sen. Ron Wyden (D., Ore.), one of the architects of fast track and related legislation, led a group of protrade Democrats who temporarily withdrew their support of the bill, also known as trade promotion authority, until Republican leaders agreed to move a bill with measures to boost trade enforcement and expedite customs.

The Obama administration and Mr. McConnell (R., Ky.) have sought to expedite debate and passage of fast track so that the House can consider the bill and so that the Pacific deal has a chance of getting completed and passed before the peak of the presidential election season, which can be fatal to trade deals. Mr. McConnell is also seeking to move other legislation this week, and debate could extend into the weekend.

But Democrats opposed to the legislation, led by Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio are warning that Mr. McConnell isn’t allowing enough amendments and debate on the legislation. “We’re fast tracking this whole idea of a fast track process,” Mr. Brown said Thursday. “Why is this good for our communities?”

In the Senate, the bill still faces additional procedural hurdles, long stretches of time to debate the bill and potentially a handful of amendment votes before a final vote on the trade bill could occur.

Though senators often agree to speed up the process, it’s not clear whether trade opponents will agree to do so.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/fast-tra...ote-1432220409

Lookee, lookee, republicans fast tracking something for Obama. Did'nt they promise to fast track in December, meaning to stop unconstitutional amnesties?

Are we going to vote any more in and strengthen McConnell's ability to mess over Americans? Naw, surely Americans would not do that to fellow countrymen, they learned form 2014! Did'nt they?

. . . senators will now weigh amendments to the bill - some of them contentious - and there could be yet another procedural vote requiring 60 supporters. If there is cooperation among all senators, the bill could come to a final vote by week's end, with only a simple majority needed to pass it . . .

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

. . . senators will now weigh amendments to the bill - some of them contentious - and there could be yet another procedural vote requiring 60 supporters. If there is cooperation among all senators, the bill could come to a final vote by week's end, with only a simple majority needed to pass it . . .

Why is your print so small? Heck, these old eyes have to strain to read it.

Originally Posted by MW

Why is your print so small? Heck, these old eyes have to strain to read it.

It looks good size on my screen.
I use "SIZE 2" at the top when I post.
I guess what I see isn't the same as what you get.
But I use ZOOM 125% on GOOGLE Chrome
because most sites are to small for my eyes.
Try increasing your "ZOOM", or "Magnification" on some systems.

Look back at my previous post and see if it looks better now.

I went back and checked and must have forgot to do SIZE 2 on it.

This one is SIZE 2.

Is it better?

Originally Posted by JohnDoe2

Look back at my previous post and see if it looks better now.

I went back and checked and must have forgot to do SIZE 2 on it.

This one is SIZE 2.

Is it better?

Much better, thank you.

U.S. Senate Debate on Trade Promotion Authority

NOW on C-SPAN 2