The subject of this vote was final passage of a free trade bill between the U.S. and Chile. Progressives opposed the trade bill for two main reasons. First, in their view, the trade bill would exacerbate the trade deficit in the United States and thereby cause Americans to lose their jobs (a trade "deficit" in this context means that the U.S. annually pays more money for imported products-those made in other countries-than it earns in exporting U.S.-made goods to those countries). Progressives pointed out that similar free-trade agreements (such as NAFTA) have enabled U.S. firms to export jobs to other countries at the expense of U.S. workers. Second, Progressives argued that free-trade agreements encourage environmental degradation by allowing corporations unfettered access to commodities that sometimes come from previously pristine natural environments under-protected by nations' environmental laws. Despite opposition from Progressives, the U.S.-Chile free trade measure was adopted by the House on a 270-156 vote.