Procedural vote on debating fast-track legislation fails 53-45, with most Democrats in opposition

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Tuesday May 12, 2015 · 12:09 PM PDT

2015/05/12 · 12:09

no image description available — Mission partly accomplished.

Mission partly accomplished.

In the first test vote for fast-track trade legislation Tuesday, a crucial milestone in President Obama's effort to get the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership approved by lawmakers, the Senate voted 53-45 to end a filibuster. Sixty votes were needed. All but one Democrat—Sen. Tom Carper of Delaware—opposed the motion to proceed with debate on the bill. It was a major defeat for President Obama.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spoke immediately after the vote, lamenting the failure, and introduced a motion to reconsider. Alexander Bolton reports:

[Fast-tracking] faces even more opposition from Democrats in the House, and the surprise Senate failure will raise doubts about whether the legislation will make its way through Congress.
Labor unions and other left-leaning groups have declared war on the fast-track bill, which they argue has shipped jobs overseas. The Senate is generally a more pro-trade body than the House, and it has been easier to move trade agreements through the upper chamber.

The standoff Tuesday focused on procedure, though there is significant opposition to fast-track itself in the Democratic conference.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), an avid supporter of fast-tracking and the TPP, said he hoped that a "bipartisan path" on the trade agreement can be found at the earliest possible opportunity.

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Procedural vote on debating fast-track legislation fails 53-45, with most Democrats in opposition

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