The Trade Act of 2002 (HR 3009; also called the U.S. Trade Promotion Authority Act) grants the President of the United States the authority to negotiate trade deals with other countries and only gives Congress the approval to vote up or down on the agreement, but not to amend it. This authority is sometimes called fast track authority, since it puts trade deals on a fast track to approval. This authority makes it easier to negotiate deals, which engenders both support and opposition, opposition coming from labor and environmental groups.
