Senate authorizes 'fast-track' authority for trade bill

The Senate voted 60-38 Wednesday to expand President Barack Obama's trade powers, giving him "fast-track" authority to help him seal a 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership by letting him present trade deals to Congress for only a yes or no vote, with no amendments. The bill now heads to Obama's desk to be signed into law.

The vote is considered a major victory for Obama, who found an unlikely ally in House Republicans after House Democrats pushing for U.S. labor protections tried to block the deal. The Trans-Pacific Partnership would cover roughly 40 percent of the global economy.

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Samantha Rollins is TheWeek.com's news editor. She has previously worked for The New York Times and TIME and is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.