Senate votes to move legislation forward

What a difference 48 hours can make.

That's about how long it took many business groups to go from dismayed to optimistic after the U.S. Senate voted Thursday to allow legislation reauthorizing trade promotion authority to move forward.

Senators had voted against TPA only two days earlier. But after a round of negotiations with President Barack Obama, the Senate agreed to take up the bill rather than let it die.

The quick turnaround left the communication departments at many associations scrambling to issue statements praising the Senate after having issued news releases expressing disappointment with lawmakers only a short time before.

"The retail industry welcomes today's vote on trade promotion authority and hopes it is a harbinger of congressional support for free and open trade," said David French, senior vice president of government relations at the National Retail Federation.

Earlier in the week French and his counterparts at other business groups used words like "disappointed" and "discouraged" to describe what then seemed a major roadblock for TPA passage. But on Thursday, U.S. Chamber of Commerce CEO Tom Donohue applauded senators for "allowing the debate on this critical legislation to move forward."

"TPA is one of the best things Congress can do right now to boost the economy and support American workers and their employers," Donohue said. "It puts Congress in the driver's seat of trade negotiations, creates transparency and holds the administration accountable."

TPA still faces many hurdles. The legislation is opposed by unions, environmentalists and their Democratic allies, which fear it could lead to lost U.S. jobs and weakened regulations.

MORE CEO DATELINE

• Associations launch media campaigns on Ex-Im Bank, highway funding
• Organic group seeking version of the 'Got Milk?' campaign
• Wine and spirits association joins forces with online alcohol delivery company
• Associations blast Senate for failure to pass trade promotion authority
• Natural Products Association makes peace with herbal supplement investigation