Efforts to introduce US trade deals with Europe and Asia have been dealt a blow after a vote in the Senate. Late yesterday, Senators rejected a bill that would allow the President to speed trade deals through Congress. This means that Barack Obama will not be able to fast-track trade pacts such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). The Senate voted 52 to 45, eight votes short of the 60 votes needed to pass. The move sets back the adoption of the TTIP, a trade agreement between the US and European Union.