TPP: Lawmakers reach deal on 'fast track' trade authority
Susan Davis, USA TODAY 5:08 p.m. EDT April 16, 2015
WASHINGTON — Top lawmakers reached a deal Thursday on legislation to grant President Obama "fast track" trade authority to advance one of the largest trade pacts in history, a step that could set off one of the sharpest legislative battles of the year and put Democratic unity to the test.
The bill is a top priority for the administration and congressional Republicans, but the fast track bill and the underlying Trans-Pacific Partnership, a trade deal between the U.S. and 11 Asia-Pacific nations, is roundly opposed by major labor unions and most congressional Democrats.
Senate Finance Committee leaders Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Ron Wyden, D-Ore., along with House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., announced the deal in a statement.
"This is a smart, bipartisan compromise that will help move America forward," Hatch said. "The renewal of TPA will help American workers and job creators unlock new opportunities for growth and promote better, higher-paying jobs here at home."...SNIP
...Trade promotion authority, commonly know as fast track, is a process that enhances the president's authority to negotiate trade pacts that Congress can only approve or defeat — and not amend — by a simple majority vote. TPA expired for new trade agreements in 2007. The administration has said without it they are unlikely to reach a deal on the Trans-Pacific Partnership...snip
more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/04/16/lawmakers-reach-deal-fast-track/25885569/
= new reply since forum marked as read
The powers that be have spoken as we knew they would, Obama included. Now it's a done deal, so Hillary will have "clean hands." 
