Reid Opposes "Fast Track" Renewal

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Wednesday that he opposes renewing "fast track" authority, even though President Obama called for it in his State of the Union address.

"I'm against fast track," Reid told reporters, speaking about legislation that give trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership an up-or-down vote with no amendments.

He added, "Everyone would be well-advised just to not push this right now."

The Wall Street Journal reported:

Unions opposing the trade deals cheered the move. "For those of us who want to have a progressive trade agenda, it means that we're encouraged," said Larry Cohen, head of the Communications Workers of America, one of the most vocal unions criticizing the current trade negotiations. Celeste Drake, a trade-policy specialist with the AFL-CIO, a union confederation, said Mr. Reid's comments offered "a great opportunity to get off the fast track to bad trade deals and open the policy window to a better deal for workers."