Obama signs trade and worker assistance bills into law

President Obama signed both the trade bill and worker assistance bill into law on Monday, marking the official end to the long debate over trade. The trade bill reserves Congress' input on trade agreements to either the acceptance or the rejection of Obama's proposals; Congress will not be be able to amend or delay agreements. The worker aid bill offers assistance to workers whose jobs are affected by the trade pacts enabled by the new trade bill.

Somewhat surprisingly, Republicans were Obama's biggest supporters in his endeavor to gain "fast-track" authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership. While signing the bills on Monday, Obama applauded the bipartisan work leading up to that moment. "This was a true bipartisan achievement and it's a reminder of what we can get done... when we work together," he said.

Though the trade bill weathered the six-week debate in Congress, Obama pointed out that it's not a done deal quite yet. Now that Obama officially has fast-track authority, he will enter negotiations with the 12 other nations involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

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