A bimonthly public policy magazine. Though fast-track has been granted routinely to past presidents, some fear what President Clinton would do with such expanded power. Republicans in Congress are worried that the President would use trade policies as a way to impose and enforce international environmental policies.
Trade agreements affect U.S. law, as do treaties.
But unlike treaties, trade agreements do not require ratification by two-thirds of the Senate. Moreover, trade agreements negotiated under fast-track authority cannot be amended by Congress, but must be approved as a package by a simple majority of both houses. Fast-track trade authority could give the President an opportunity to implement elements of his environmental and trade agenda that might have difficulty in Congress. Trade barriers could easily be disguised as environmental standards. Environmental trade sanctions could be imposed against imports, and foreign countries might enact penalties against American exports.