Free Trade Activists: Help Defeat Fast Track

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In 1997 and again in 1998 activists organizing in the United States successfully pressure Congress to
defeat "fast track" negotiating authority for international trade and investment agreements.

Join in our lastest struggle against Fast Track.

Help defeat Fast Track.

Fast track" is one means of granting authority to the President to negotiate trade agreements.

Under this process, the White House negotiates a trade agreement, and writes the "implementing legislation" needed to change U.S. laws to adapt to the agreement. Congress must then vote yes or no with no amendments within 60 legislative days.

Congress is limited to 20 hours of floor debate in each chamber.

The last fast-track authorization lapsed three years ago; the new fast-track legislation would last eight years.

Fast-track proponents argue that Congress must give up its right to fully debate and amend implementing legislation in order to provide trade negotiators with credibility that the terms they negotiate with other countries will not be reversed by Congress.

The ban on amendments permits members of Congress to accept a deal that includes many small items that will be bitterly contested by different sectors but that, proponents argue, results in the greater good.

Opponents, however, believe that the issues covered by current trade agreements are broad and affect people's lives directly.

Thus, they merit a full congressional and public debate.

Domestic food safety, environmental protections, local investment and development standards, government procurement, and consumer protections are some of the many laws in the United States and in the other signatory countries that can be changed as a result of a trade agreement.