Tea Party Joins Liberals in Push Against Fast-Track Trade [View all]

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-13/tea-party-joins-liberals-in-push-against-fast-track-trade.html

U.S. lawmakers on opposite ends of the political spectrum are objecting to putting trade deals on a fast track for congressional approval, threatening one of the business community’s top priorities.

A group of House Democrats, led by Representatives Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and George Miller of California, today will announce their opposition to renewal of the president’s so-called fast-track trade negotiating authority that they say robs lawmakers of the power to alter deals. Yesterday, 22 House Republicans, including some aligned with the small-government Tea Party movement, sent President Barack Obama a letter saying they won’t give ground on being able to change trade pacts.

The bipartisan objections complicate the efforts of Obama who, with the backing of business groups such as the Business Roundtable and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is attempting to negotiate two of the largest trade deals in history with Europe and the Pacific region.

“We used to have a bipartisan coalition for free trade, but both parties now have robust elements that for different reasons challenge trade promotion authority, and it makes things complicated for those who want these trade deals,” said Stu Rothenberg, editor of the Washington-based nonpartisan Rothenberg Political Report.