Both of Georgia’s Republican U.S. senators supported trade authority for President Barack Obama in a squeaker of a floor vote Tuesday, saying a pending Pacific trade deal would be good for the state’s economy.
The procedural vote on “fast-track” trade authority narrowly cleared a 60-vote threshold, and the Senate is expected to send the bill to Obama’s desk Wednesday. For the next six years it sets a framework for Obama and his successor to negotiate trade deals, which Congress would be allowed to vote to approve but not amend.
“You can’t negotiate with 535 individuals, which if you don’t have (trade promotion authority) is what you have to do, which means you don’t get a deal,” U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson said.
Of the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, Isakson said: “Its good for Georgia agriculture. It’s good for the Port of (Savannah). It’s good for Georgia manufacturing and business. It’s a win-win-win.”
U.S. Sen. David Perdue said the deal could build better relations in Asia while containing a newly assertive China. But Perdue has heard plenty of concerns from his constituents about giving Obama any authority, with some concerned that the president could use a trade deal to further relax immigration rules.
“We have the ability to rescind this at any point in time,” Perdue said. “So if this president does anything untoward, whether that be a visa program or anything else, either the Senate or the House can rescind it.”
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