Bloomberg News: "Congressional Deal Reached on Obama Trade-Talks (TPP) Authority" [View all]

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Last edited Fri Jan 10, 2014, 10:22 AM - Edit history (1)

Congressional Deal Reached on Obama Trade-Talks Authority
By Brian Wingfield, Laura Litvan and Michael C. Bender Jan 9, 2014 3:34 PM ET

House Speaker John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, said Obama provided “scant attention” on fast-track authority in seeking support from Democrats in Congress.
“I made clear to the president that this can’t pass unless there’s bipartisan support for it,” Boehner told reporters today at the Capitol.

The trade authority, which expired in 2007, lets Congress set parameters for considering trade deals, and allows lawmakers to pass the accords without making amendments. Opponents, including labor unions and environmental groups, say they want more say in the pacts, particularly with the Pacific agreement in its final stages of negotiation, before giving Obama fast-track authority.

“This legislation strips Congress of its defining democratic characteristic -- its check-and-balance structure,” Michael Brune, executive director of the San Francisco-based Sierra Club, said today in a statement. He said lawmakers should be able to fully debate and amend trade deals.

Supporters of fast-track authority including a coalition of about 160 groups, led by organizations including the Business Roundtable, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the American Farm Bureau Federation and the National Association of Manufacturers. The coalition -- whose members include Boeing Co. (BA), MetLife Inc. (MET), Pfizer Inc. (PFE) and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT) -- has ramped up lobbying efforts in recent months.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-09/congressional-deal-reached-on-obama-trade-talks-authority.html