The House granted the president authority to enter and finalize free trade agreements.
Now it’s up to the Senate to take up the measure again as well.
House lawmakers voted 218-208 to approve Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which defines objectives and priorities for trade agreements the United States negotiates and establishes consultation and notification requirements for the president to follow throughout the negotiation process.
Once trade negotiators finalize a deal, Congress gets to review it and vote, without amendments, yes or no on it.
Congress has granted TPA to every president since 1974, with the most recent law being approved in August 2002 and expiring June 30, 2007.
It was the second time in a week that the House passed TPA.
