<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><a href="http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/242610-mcconnell-ends-debate-on-trade-bill" class="">http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/242610-mcconnell-ends-debate-on-trade-bill</a><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><h1 class="title" id="page-title" style="font-size: 39px; line-height: 1; margin: 0px; font-family: proxima-nova, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">McConnell moves to end debate on trade bill</h1><div class="clearer" style="clear: both; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"></div><article class="node-blogs node view-mode-full clearfix node-242610" about="/blogs/floor-action/senate/242610-mcconnell-ends-debate-on-trade-bill" typeof="sioc:Item foaf:Document" style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><div class=""></div></article></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) moved to end debate on "fast-track" trade legislation, after Democrats objected to allowing additional amendment votes. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">McConnell said he hopes Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) will continue to try to find a way forward on amendments to the legislation, after talks appeared to hit a hurdle Tuesday. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">"It is my hope that we would be able to process a number of amendments … and then move forward, and we'll have a couple of days to accomplish that," he said. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""><div id="dfp-ad-mosad_1-wrapper" class="wrapper dfp-tag-wrapper" style="position: relative;"><div id="dfp-ad-mosad_1" class="dfp-tag-wrapper" style="position: relative; background-color: rgb(235, 235, 235); padding: 16px 5px 10px; margin: 10px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;"><div id="google_ads_iframe_1107919/Content_300x250_FloorAction_asynch_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none;" class=""><iframe id="google_ads_iframe_1107919/Content_300x250_FloorAction_asynch_0" name="google_ads_iframe_1107919/Content_300x250_FloorAction_asynch_0" width="300" height="250" scrolling="no" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" frameborder="0" style="border-width: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" class=""></iframe></div></div></div>Senate Democrats slammed McConnell on Tuesday, suggesting the Kentucky Republican is breaking his promise to have an "open" amendment process for a key piece of trade legislation. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said while the Senate has been debating the "fast-track" trade legislation, which will allow the president to get his trade deals approved by Congress with a simple majority vote, there have been "very few votes and very few amendments." </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">"To shut it off and to stop at this moment in time, as some seem to want to do, I think is contrary not just to what the Senate should do on something as substantial as trade promotion authority," he said. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""><div class="">McConnell tried to counter some of the criticism over his procedural move, saying that it's "not the end of the story" on the trade legislation. </div><p style="margin: 15px 0px;" class="">But he suggested that if Democrats want additional amendment votes, they will have to drop their objections and cooperate, adding that "just a little cooperation" is needed from Democrats. </p></div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">More than 100 amendments from both sides of the aisle have been filed to the trade legislation. But so far, senators have had just two votes on amendments, both earlier this week. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) suggested that unless senators can get more amendment votes, including on those she submitted, she would try to slow-walk the bill. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">"I'm going to do everything in my power to stall this. I'm going to use every tool in my disposal," she warned. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">The Democrats' criticism follows remarks from Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid earlier Tuesday. The Nevada Democrat said McConnell would file cloture on trade promotion authority Tuesday evening. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) urged McConnell to allow more debate on the TPA, adding he should "keep his vision that he laid out on this floor that this would be an open process and a robust process." </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">Hatch tried to offer votes Tuesday evening on additional amendments, but Democrats objected to his request after Hatch declined to include a measure blocking McConnell filing cloture to end debate on the trade legislation until Wednesday. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said that filing cloture Tuesday "really does stifle the process." </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class="">Under Senate rules, lawmakers can take a procedural vote on the trade bill Thursday. </div><div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""> </div><div data-twttr-id="twttr-sandbox-0" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 18px;" class=""><div class="">A war of words over the amendment fight played out between top Hill staffers on the sidelines of the floor fight. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">Don Stewart, a spokesperson for McConnell, tweeted earlier Tuesday that staffers were trying to set up amendment votes, but Democrats were objecting to votes.</div><div class=""> </div><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="203" style="border-style: none; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe><div class=""> </div><div class="">But Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Reid, fired back that Republicans were only offering "2-4 amendment votes then shut down debate."</div><div class=""> </div><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" allowfullscreen="" title="Twitter Tweet" height="336" style="border-style: none; max-width: 100%; min-width: 220px; margin: 10px 0px; padding: 0px; display: block; position: static; visibility: visible; width: 500px;"></iframe><div class=""> </div><div class="">A key part of the debate on amendments focused on trying to get a vote on Sen. Maria Cantwell's (D-Wash.) proposal to reauthorize the Export-Import Bank. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">Cantwell said she would continue to object to the trade bill until she got an answer on how the bank's life would be extended. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">"Unti our colleagues give us an answer about something we've been clear about for more than a year, we are going to continue to object," she said. "We're not going to let this bank expire, the credit agency, without a fight." </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">McConnell said earlier in the day that the Export-Import bank would get a vote, but that it shouldn't be a part of the trade bill. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">But Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned his party's leader later Tuesday that he wouldn't vote with McConnell "on anything else this year" until he gets a vote on the Export-Import Bank. </div><div class=""> </div><div class="">"I'm tired of talking," he said. "There's over 60 votes in this body [for Export-Import.]" </div><div class=""> </div><div class=""><em class="">- Updated at 7:45 p.m.</em></div></div></div></body></html>