A coalition of Democratic lawmakers has joined with labor and environmental activists to oppose President Obama’s plan to fast-track approval of trade deals. The Obama administration has been quietly pressing for the authority to secretly negotiate trade pacts and then rush them through Congress with an up-or-down vote. The new powers could help Obama push through the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a secretive pact encompassing 40 percent of the global economy. On Thursday, Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro said trade deals merit debate and cannot be rushed.

Rep. Rosa DeLauro: “Trade deals go well beyond trade. They can compromise the quality of the food we eat. They can raise the prices that we pay for medicines. They can attack our environmental regulations, weaken our financial regulations, stop our government from supporting American businesses, and they do nothing to stop the injustice of currency manipulation.”