By Eric Stock

WASHINGTON – U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., has called Trade Promotion Authority ‘the most significant giveaway of congressional authority to the president in modern memory.’

Those were Durbin’s words when he voted against the measure in 2002 under President Gerge W. Bush and voted against it on Wednesday, though it was adopted by a 60-38 vote in the Senate and is headed to President Barack Obama’s desk.

Durbin told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin, Congress should retain the right to amend trade agreements.

PODCAST: Listen to Scott and Colleen’s interview with Durbin on WJBC.

“I’ve voted for about half of the trade agreements that have come my way since I have been in the House and Senate and voted against the other half,” Durbin said. “I want to judge them on the merits. I don’t think fast-track was the way to do it.”

Trade Promotion Authority strips Congress of the ability to amend trade agreements.

President Obama considers the measure a key piece to brokering the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement. He said the president called him three times and met with him for an hour to urge him to support fast-track trade.

“The President I think knows how it is going to end,” Durbin said. “For a lot of us, it is really hard to say ‘that’s good enough for me.’ I need to know more and I want to be able if I object to all or part of it to vote against it.

Lincoln Heritage Areas

U.S. Senators Dick Durbin and Mark Kirk, R-Ill., joined U.S. Representatives Adam Kinzinger, Mike Bost, Cheri Bustos, Rodney Davis and John Shimkus (R-Ill.-15) to introduce the bipartisan Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Amendment Act, which would add Livingston County, the City of Freeport in Stephenson County, and the City of Jonesboro in Union County to the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area.

“Just as Illinois left its mark on the character of Abraham Lincoln, Lincoln left his lasting impressions on our state’s artifacts, landscapes, buildings and folklore,” Durbin said in a news release. “That is why I introduced legislation ten years ago to establish the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area and create a network of opportunities for people who are interested in exploring Lincoln’s history in Illinois.”

The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area was first established in 2008 when legislation introduced by Durbin and then-Representative Ray LaHood was signed into law. The legislation made federal grants available for preservation, education and economic development activities across the Heritage Area, which currently covers 42 counties across Illinois.

By adding Livingston County, and the cities of Freeport and Jonesboro, all of the sites of Lincoln’s legal career within the Eight Judicial District, as well as the sites of the Lincoln-Douglas debates, would now be included in the Heritage Area.

“Abraham Lincoln still stands today as a symbol of human dignity and freedom, and honoring his life and legacy through this Heritage Area expansion is a fitting tribute,” Kirk said.

“As one of our nation’s most revered leaders, Abraham Lincoln held our nation together in one of its most challenging times,” said Kinzinger. “As President, his vision echoed the values of freedom, opportunity, and equality. I am proud to introduce this legislation to strengthen the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area’s mission of telling the story of Lincoln’s life in time in central Illinois. The Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area Amendment Act will ensure that all of the Eighth Judicial Circuit, where Lincoln spent much of his legal career, and all of the Lincoln-Douglas debate sites are included in the Lincoln National Heritage Area.”

“As one of our nation’s most revered leaders, Abraham Lincoln held our nation together in one of its most challenging times,” said Kinzinger. “As President, his vision echoed the values of freedom, opportunity, and equality. I am proud to introduce this legislation to strengthen the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area’s mission of telling the story of Lincoln’s life and time in central Illinois.”

“As the representative of Springfield, Illinois, home and resting place of Abraham Lincoln, I am proud to join my colleagues in introducing this legislation to expand the Abraham Lincoln National Heritage Area and continue Lincoln’s message of liberty and opportunity for all,” said Davis.

Eric Stock can be reached at [email protected].