fast track first This was the vote on final passage of a large trade bill strongly supported by the president. The bill lowered tariffs on certain products from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, and extended for another five years the Generalized System of Preferences, a list of dutyfree products from 140 countries. The bill also expanded the Trade Adjustment Assistance program of aid for workers displaced by trade agreements, and created a 70 percent tax credit for their health insurance. But the most important provision, and the one that earned the interest of the administration, was the establishment of "fast track" trade negotiation authority for the president. This gave the administration the power to forbid amendments on trade agreements submitted to the Senate for approval: only an "up or down" vote would be allowed. This prevented the Senate from having any say in the content of the agreements. Progressives harbored serious doubts about the implications of this power for labor, environmental, and human rights regulations. Though they approved of the aid provisions, they could not ultimately support the bill itself. In spite of their "no" votes, the bill passed 66-30.