Getting Congress nod for fast track authority still a difficult task

AFTER many months of doubt and uncertainty, there was finally some good news for those hoping for a swift and successful conclusion of the negotiations over a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal.

Leaders of a key US Senate panel agreed last Thursday on bipartisan legislation that would give President Barack Obama the power to complete the negotiations over the accord.

Republican Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, the committee's ranking Democrat, have reached a deal on a bill granting the White House the Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), aka "fast track". It allows lawmakers the chance to vote "yes" or "no" on a trade agreement negotiated by Mr Obama but denies them the power to amend the terms of the deal.