TPP Suffers A Crushing Defeat In The U.S. Senate

(Photo of Senator Warren and President Obama is from Mother Jones.)

President Obama has been negotiating a new trade agreement with the Pacific nations (called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP). The contents of that agreement have been kept secret, and the president has asked Congress to"fast track" the agreement -- i.e., pass it without knowing what's in it, or without Congress having the ability to change it.

This was fine with Republicans, because they love free trade agreements -- agreements that help corporations and hurt workers. But a group of progressives in the Senate, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, thinks this deal (like other trade agreements) is a bad deal for American workers and consumers -- and believe it will give the giant corporations the ability to offshore more American jobs, and possibly even overrule governments (including our own government).

On Tuesday, Majority Leader Mitchell tried to cut off a filibuster by those progressive Democrats and bring the bill to the Senate floor for a vote. Most believed he had the 60 votes to do that. But the discontent among many senators was underestimated. Every Democrat but one, and both Independent Senators, voted against the cloture motion -- and it fell 8 votes short of the 60 needed. The vote was 52 to 47.

This was a crushing defeat for the TPP fast-track bill. It could still be brought back up, but unless it is opened for examination and allowed to be amended by Congress, it will probably be defeated again. I couldn't be prouder of the Senate Democrats. They stood firm against the mega-corporations, and in support of American workers. This is a bad bill as it stands, and unless it is changed they should remain firm in their opposition.