The Senate has voted to proceed to debating fast track, which essentially ensures its eventual passage. The vote is still taking place but with 60 votes needed to invoke cloture and pass the motion, there are already 62 votes SUPPORTING THE MOTION to proceeding. Final vote 62-38 (Vote specifics in a moment).
To be clear, this was not entirely surprising. Fast track was always going to pass the Senate. As I've stated from the outset, the real action will be in the House--or at least the opportunity to potentially defeat fast track will come in the House.
A hold up in the Senate was possible over various issues. For example, some senators--including Maria Cantwell, Heidi Heitkamp and Lindsey Graham--threatened to vote against cloture because they want a chance to vote on extending the life of the Export-Import Bank.
Democratic Traitors who voted to move forward on fast track (when I write "Expected", these are pro so-called "free trade" votes who you can bet, at the end of the day, will vote both for fast track and for the TPP):
Feinstein (expected)
Wyden (expected)
Warner (expected)
Bennett (expected)
Carper (expected: he was also the only Democrat to support fast track in vote last week)
Kaine (expected)
Nelson (expected)
Coons
McCaskill (expected)
Shaheen
Heitkamp (expected)
Murray (expected)
Cantwell (expected)
From the above, you can see that with the president unifying the party behind him--the Republican Party--he will eventually have enough Democratic votes to pass fast track in the Senate.
Odd people--Republicans--who voted NO (not to proceed), but not because they oppose fast track in principle:
Mike Lee
Jeff Sessions
Richard Shelby
Susan Collins
Mid vote, there was a little gathering IN the well of the Senate with Mitch McConnell talking with Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell, quickly joined by, Bill Nelson, Wyden and Lindsey Graham; most of the animated talk went between Graham and McConnell. Bernie Sanders listened in from just outside the circle. I suspect this was over some horse trading about what people wanted votes on and where a deal was cut that brought over some of the holdouts.
This is not particularly surprising. The Senate will eventually pass this and also TPP.
The debate leading up to the cloture vote was brief:
Orrin Hatch tried to call up a series of amendments, mostly to obscure the opposition to fast track proceeding and ram it through to debate. Sherrod Brown objected. Brown suggested that there be discussion about voting on amendments BUT without cloture hanging over their heads. Hatch basically refused and called the vote on cloture.
Post vote: a quorum call was ordered and a gaggle of 12-15 Senators gathered in the well, with Sherrod Brown and Merkley leading a vigorous debate with Hatch and Wyden, Elizabeth Warren listened intently over Merkley's shoulder with Boxer. The Schum circled like a shark. All of this was presumably over how the debate will proceed in terms of considering amendments.
ON TO THE BATTLE IN THE HOUSE!!!!