The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that gives President Obama authority to finalize a trade deal with 11 countries in Asia. The trade authority bill now goes to the Senate, where Oregon’s Ron Wyden is playing a key role.
Sen.Wyden said he spoke with the president several times this week about the trade deal. But Wyden wouldn’t reveal much more.
“I have made a practice to never talk about what the president of the United States said in a confidential discussion," Wyden said. "What I can tell you is, we agreed that this ought to be the most progressive trade policy in history and I believe it is.”
Most democrats oppose the Trade Promotion Authority bill, so the president teamed up with republicans to pass it in the House.
Wyden is one of 14 pro-trade democrats who are key to passing the bill in the Senate. He says those democrats are negotiating over several interlocking issues.
Those include aid for workers who lose their jobs due to trade competition and a bill that gives some African nations trade preference.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
