The vote to grant President Barack Obama fast-track authority to negotiate a massive Pacific Rim trade deal will be extremely tight by all accounts. Senior aides and lawmakers in GOP leadership are intent on scheduling the vote at the moment they believe they have the votes locked up — ideally by Friday, to spare supportive lawmakers the possibility of another weekend of attacks by trade foes back in their districts.

"We're doing very well, we're close," Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), who's been at the forefront of the GOP effort to round up support, said Tuesday of the current vote count. If Republicans want to bring the trade legislation to the floor Friday, they must decide Wednesday.

Still, the state of play remains fluid, GOP lawmakers and aides cautioned, and there's a chance the vote will slide into next week.

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been holding small meetings with lawmakers in his office as he seeks to maximize Republican "yes" votes — and he huddled late Tuesday with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to address some unresolved spending and procedural issues. House Republicans will hold a closed-door meeting on Wednesday morning at which the trade vote is expected to be a major topic of conversation.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/06/gop-aiming-for-friday-trade-vote-but-snag-remains-118797.html#ixzz3cd7fBRIp