https://www.the-newshub.com/us-politics/us-senate-votes-to-pass-tpp-fast-track-legislation
The fast-track bill for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) passed Senate on Wednesday, June 24. The fast-track bill, named Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), received 60 “Yea” votes and 38 “Nay” votes while 2 senators did not vote.
The TPA is nicknamed fast-track because of the authority it gives to the President to speed up the process of trade bills in Congress, forcing members to vote on a bill without the ability to change its contents or add amendments. Therefore, if the TPA is passed, it will become easier for Obama to pass TPP.
The TPP is an international free trade bill, much like the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Central American Free Trade Agreement were. Such bills have caused mass outsourcing of jobs, resulting in higher unemployment rates and lower job certainty.
However, there are many parts to the bill beyond the free trade sections. For instance, the bill strengthens intellectual property laws so copyrights can be enforced while they are still pending. Also, corporations gain the power to challenge any law that would damage their future profits. Access to prescription drugs would be limited as generic drugs would be removed from US pharmacies. Finally, no expiration date is set on TPP which means that once it’s here, it’s here to stay.
Countries included in TPP are the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Japan, Vietnam, Singapore, Peru, Chile, Malaysia, and Brunei. Other countries, including China and South Korea, have shown interest in joining the agreement.
Demonstrations against TPP/TPA have taken place in the United States and New Zealand, among others, but public awareness of the bills were low until recently due to the secrecy of TPP’s creation and a lack of exposure in mainstream media.
Many senators, including Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, and Rand Paul, have spoken out in opposition of TPP. All three of them voted “nay” during Wednesday’s Senate vote. Ted Cruz originally supported the bill, but began opposing it on 23 June.
The TPA had passed the Senate before, but the bill was later blocked in the House by both Democrats and Republicans. However, changes have been made to satisfy both sides, meaning TPA will likely pass the House next time it is voted on.
, I got to thinking "ok, so what are they really up to?" as seems to be the case when a major story is happening, they always slide something under the radar. 
