Here it comes: The Fast Track (TPA) freight train to shove the TPP down our throats [View all]

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Senior US lawmakers have moved closer to a deal to grant President Barack Obama the authority to pass trade agreements swiftly and without changes through Congress, bolstering the White House’s position ahead of a key round of trade negotiations with Pacific nations.

The breakthrough in recent days could lead to the presentation of so-called “fast track” legislation before the end of the year, and possibly as early as next week, say people familiar with the discussions.

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Aides to the Senate finance committee and the House ways and means committee, which cover trade, have been working on a TPA bill for months, and progress has been much slower than expected, raising doubts about the political appetite for trade liberalisation in Congress.

The original aim was to have leaders of the panels from both parties bless the deal, but Sandy Levin, the top Democrat on the ways and means committee, is not expected to sign on to the agreement. But Max Baucus, the Democratic chairman of the Senate finance committee, and Orrin Hatch, the panel’s top Republican, are on board, as is Dave Camp, the Republican chairman of the ways and means committee.

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