Jason Stanford, spokesman for the Coalition to Stop Fast Track, wrote:
"There will be a lot of these votes before they pack up the fast track tent and go home, but this was supposed to be an easy win for them. The reason this went badly for them is that enough Senators listened to the folks back home who have been telling them that they don't want to make it easier to ship jobs overseas. We are grateful that they voted with those voters and not with the corporate lobbyists."
Justin Krebs, campaign director for MoveOn.org Civic Action:
"Today, Democrats in the Senate sent a clear message -- that the interests of American workers should come before those of massive, multinational corporations -- by preventing Fast Track legislation from being considered.
"This clearly shows the strength of the growing movement to stop Fast Track and the TPP, thanks to activists across the country who have been fighting for years against corporate-centric trade deals. A year ago, Fast Track for the TPP seemed unstoppable. Now, Senate Democrats, under the leadership of Leader Harry Reid, have held together to resist this attempt to rush a massive corporate giveaway through Congress.
"There is still a long road ahead in the fight against Fast Track, but today shows that activism is working -- and is a signal to those undecided members of the House of Representatives, that momentum has shifted against Fast Track, and it's time for every Democrat who cares about American workers, consumer protections, and environmental regulations to commit to voting against this bill."
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI):
"It would have been a mistake to provide fast-track authority for trade agreements that could further undermine American wages, manufacturing jobs, and our environment. Past trade deals have hurt Rhode Island workers, and we should review future deals carefully to make sure we're not repeating the kind of mistakes that have resulted in local jobs moving overseas. I'm glad we were able to defeat this fast-track measure today."
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