President George W. Bush’s ability to negotiate trade agreements and present them to Congress for an up-or-down vote without amendments will either expire on June 30 or be formally extended by Congress. Washington is already debating what to do about this so-called fast-track authority. The outcome will shape US trade policy and global commerce for years to come. But so far the arguments have missed what should be the central point.

Here are some of the positions recently staked out by Congress: extend fast-track without strings, because all trade liberalisation is good. Extend it, but only if all new trade agreements contain commitments on the part of foreign partners to abide by international labour standards, such as freedom to bargain collectively. Extend it, but only for the purpose of voting Yes or No on the Doha round, provided it is successfully concluded. Another group, comprised mostly of Democrats, wants fast-track to wither. They say free trade is causing too much hardship for many workers and that countries such as China are not abiding by World Trade Organisation rules. They would also like to deal a political blow to the Bush administration.