Warren, Manchin: Let public see trade deal before vote

Peter Schroeder and Vicki Needham
The Hill
5/19/2015

Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) have a new challenge for President Obama on trade: if the terms of the deal are so good, why don’t you release them to the public?

The two introduced legislation Tuesday that would let the public see the details of an upcoming trade deal before lawmakers grant it “fast track” authority, making it easier to pass.

The fast-track legislation under consideration by the Senate added a new rule requiring the president to post the details of any trade agreement for 60 days before signing it, giving Congress several months to examine the details of any pact.

But with fast-track in place Congress would still get only an up-or-down vote on the deal. And the two senators want the public to see the deal before agreeing to head down that path…

…But the new proposal would also throw a wrench in ongoing trade talks between the Obama administration and 11 other countries, as the White House has insisted it cannot finalize the terms of that trade pact unless Congress agrees to fast-track first…

Read the entire article at The Hill.