The objectives, required by Congress under the “fast-track” trade negotiating authority law, seek to reduce or eliminate EU tariffs on U.S. farm products and break down non-tariff barriers, including on products developed through biotechnology, the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office said.

EU trade commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom told U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Wednesday that the 28-country bloc could not negotiate on agriculture.

“We have made very clear agriculture will not be included,” Malmstrom told reporters after meeting Lighthizer, adding that the two sides had not yet agreed on the scope of the talks.

Europe has been seeking more limited negotiations to cut tariffs on industrial goods, including autos, since last July, when U.S. President Donald Trump and EU president Jean-Claude Juncker agreed to start negotiations.

Trump is considering levying tariffs on imported motor vehicles and auto parts of around 25 per cent on national security grounds, but has agreed to refrain from imposing such duties on European car imports while negotiations are underway.

He has long complained about Europe’s 10 per cent import tariff on autos. The U.S. passenger car tariff is only 2.5 per cent, although U.S. tariffs on pickup trucks and other commercial trucks are 25 per cent.

— Reporting for Reuters by David Lawder.

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Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg Television that the Senate will not have time to take up the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal before 2019.

“That will be a next-year issue because the process we have to go through doesn’t allow that to come up before the end of this year,” McConnell said.

Last week, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn, had said it was “unlikely” the Senate would be able to vote in the final weeks of 2018. Some industry leaders had held out slim hope that a deal could still be approved this year.

The new trade deal is set to be signed on Nov. 30, but to comply with fast-track U.S. trade rules, Congress must get a report from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on the economic impacts of the trade deal.

On Friday, the ITC said it had launched an investigation into the impacts of the deal and will hold a Nov. 15 hearing on the agreement. The commission said it would accept written comments through Dec. 20.

Typically, Congress would hold hearings before approving a major trade agreement.

The agreement follows more than a year of talks to update the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) after President Donald Trump prepared to withdraw from the trade deal in early 2017.

The new agreement is aimed at bringing more jobs into the U.S., with Canada and Mexico accepting more restrictive commerce with the United States, their main export customer. Any U.S. job gains are likely years away, and many analysts say the deal will have a modest economic impact.

A NAFTA collapse could have cost U.S. farmers, a key Trump constituency, access to major agricultural markets in Canada and Mexico at the same time that China has halted purchases of U.S. soybeans and other commodities due to a tariff war with the U.S.

NAFTA underpins about US$1.2 trillion in annual trade among its three member countries.

— David Shepardson is a Reuters correspondent covering U.S. federal regulatory issues from Washington, D.C.

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But Ottawa will be under pressure to accept new terms on autos trade, dispute settlement and intellectual property rules after the U.S. and Mexico agreed on Monday to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

U.S. President Donald Trump warned he could proceed with a deal with Mexico alone and levy tariffs on Canada if it does not come on board with the revised trade terms.

A spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, who arrived in Washington on Tuesday for the talks, said Canada would only sign a new agreement that is good for the country.

Freeland rejoins the year-long talks following a hiatus of several weeks as the U.S. and Mexico ironed out bilateral differences in the renegotiation of the 24-year-old accord.

They have agreed on several provisions that Canada opposes, making it harder for Freeland to win concessions from U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

“I think he’s going to sit there with his arms folded a lot,” said Dan Ujczo, a Columbus, Ohio-based trade lawyer who focuses on U.S.-Canada issues. “It’s not going to be a positive discussion this week.”

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Tuesday that he believed the U.S. could also reach a trade deal with Canada this week.

“The U.S. market and the Canadian markets are very intertwined,” Mnuchin said. “It’s important for them to get this deal and it’s important for us to get this deal.”

Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray told Mexican television on Tuesday the three sides would work for a three-way deal. “We are now going to devote long hours to the negotiation with Canada,” he said.

Negotiations among the three partners, whose mutual trade totals more than US$1.2 trillion annually, have dragged on for more than a year, putting pressure on the Mexican peso and the Canadian dollar. Both currencies gained against the U.S. dollar on Monday, but the peso weakened Tuesday.

Canada’s main stock index opened higher on Tuesday on hopes for a NAFTA trade deal, before dipping. U.S. stocks edged to record highs for a third consecutive session.

A sticking point for Canada is the U.S. effort to dump the Chapter 19 dispute resolution mechanism that hinders the U.S. from pursuing anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases. Lighthizer said on Monday that Mexico had agreed to eliminate the mechanism.

Other hurdles include intellectual property rights, such as the U.S.-Mexico 10-year data exclusivity for biologic drug makers and extensions of copyright protections to 75 years from 50, all higher thresholds than Canada has previously supported.

Trump says he still could put tariffs on Canadian-made cars if Canada did not join its neighbors and warned he expected concessions on Canada’s dairy protections.

Canada’s dairy farmers operate under a protectionist system that manages supplies and prices, and imposes high tariffs to limit imports. U.S. demands have ranged from ending those tariffs to scrapping a pricing system for milk ingredients that hurt U.S. exports of milk proteins.

“It seems like a pretty steep challenge to now resolve these issues in three days,” said David Wiens, a Manitoba dairy farmer and vice-president of industry group Dairy Farmers of Canada.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking to reporters Tuesday in Quebec, said good progress had been made on auto terms in the talks between Mexico and the U.S. and that Canada looked forward to signing a deal as long as it was good for Canadians.

“My position on defending supply management has not changed,” Trudeau said.

Bilateral legal concerns

If a deal is not reached with Canada, Mnuchin said, the U.S. would proceed with a separate trade agreement with Mexico.

The Mexican government has also taken that position, even as it says it wants a trilateral deal. Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto is keen to sign the agreement before leaving office at the end of November.

But U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said a bilateral U.S.-Mexico raises “serious legal concerns” because the “fast track” negotiating authority used for NAFTA requires a trilateral deal. This may require a far more difficult 60-vote threshold in the Senate for ratification of a U.S.-Mexico bilateral trade deal.

If talks with Canada are not wrapped up by Friday, Trump plans to notify Congress that he intends to sign a deal with Mexico, but would be open to Canada joining, Lighthizer told reporters on Monday.

The White House has said Trump will sign the deal 90 days after notification. Congress needs to approve it in a process that will take several months, extending well into 2019.

— Reporting for Reuters by Julie Gordon and Sharay Angulo; additional reporting by Rod Nickel in Winnipeg, Miguel Angel Gutierrez in Mexico City and Andrea Hopkins in Ottawa; writing by Anthony Esposito and David Lawder.

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Ryan, who controls legislation in the House of Representatives, set his deadline in remarks delivered on Wednesday to the Ripon Society in Washington and publicized on Thursday.

Under the “fast track” trade negotiating law, there are lengthy notification periods before U.S. President Donald Trump could sign a new North American Free Trade Agreement and before Congress could begin considering it.

Letting negotiations drag on much longer would punt consideration to a new Congress elected in November that will take office in January 2018, one that could cede more control to Democrats.

“We have to have the paper — not just an agreement, we have to have the paper — from USTR by May 17 for us to vote on it this year, in December, in the lame duck” session, Ryan said.

A spokeswoman for Ryan said that he was referring to a notification of intent to sign the NAFTA agreement, not necessarily the full text.

Major differences remain between the three members of NAFTA after more than eight months of largely slow-moving negotiations launched at the insistence of President Trump, who wants major changes to the 1994 pact.

Friday indication

Mexico’s Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo said he expected to learn by the end of Friday whether a new deal was possible. He and his counterparts have been meeting in Washington since Monday to try to bridge major gaps.

“I think we will be finding out through the day and tomorrow… if we really have what it takes to be able to land these things in the short run,” Guajardo told Reuters.

A source close to the talks said it was possible that Guajardo, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland could extend their meetings into the weekend.

A USTR spokeswoman declined comment while a Freeland spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Guajardo told Reuters that “we have suitcases for two weeks if necessary.”

This week’s talks hit an obstacle as the U.S. and Mexico sought to settle differences over the key issue of automobiles.

“Mexico obviously is here in order to negotiate the best agreement for Mexican workers and consumers. It will take as long as it will take,” Mexican deputy economy minister Juan Carlos Baker told reporters late in the day.

But Ryan expressed skepticism that a deal could be reached in time and noted that several major issues remained unresolved, such as U.S. demands for more access to Canada’s dairy market and to make an investment dispute arbitration system optional.

“There are a handful of unresolved issues and I’m just not — I don’t want to make news, but we’ll see if they can get this done by May 17 and get us the paper to Congress, which then we could have this vote in December,” Ryan said. “If they can’t, then we won’t.”

Trump regularly threatens to walk away from NAFTA, underscoring uncertainty over the pact. Business executives complain that the lack of clarity is hitting investment.

Canada more upbeat

Freeland, however, struck a more optimistic tone. Speaking to reporters after meetings with U.S. legislators on Capitol Hill, she sidestepped questions as to when an agreement might be reached but said the three nations had made a lot of progress since Monday.

She is due to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at 4:30 p.m. ET on Friday.

Mexico has launched a counterproposal to U.S. demands to toughen automotive industry content rules and boost wages. Trump blames cheaper wages in Mexico for manufacturing job losses in the U.S..

Many other major issues crucial to a deal are still unresolved, including U.S. demands for a five-year sunset clause, and elimination of settlement panels for trade disputes.

After meeting with Lighthizer on Thursday, Guajardo told reporters that the talks were not just covering autos.

“You cannot think that in a process of negotiations we’re going to solve one item without reviewing the overall balance of the agreement,” he said. “We’re going over all the items. It’s very important to stress that.”

— Reporting for Reuters by David Lawder and David Ljunggren.

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After a six-week congressional battle including two brushes with failure, some fancy legislative footwork and myriad backroom deals to keep the legislation alive, the U.S. Senate voted 60-38 to grant Obama the power to negotiate trade deals and send them on a fast track through Congress. The bill next goes to Obama for his signature.

Final passage could push the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a central part of Obama’s foreign policy pivot to Asia, over the finish line and also boost hopes that an ambitious trade deal with the European Union could soon be completed.

The Senate also passed a separate bill providing aid to workers who lose their jobs because of trade.

The TPP, potentially a legacy-defining achievement for Obama, would be the biggest free trade agreement in a generation and rank with China’s ascension to the world trade stage and the North American Free Trade Agreement liberalizing trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

But TPP ministers still have tricky issues to resolve, ranging from monopoly periods for next-generation medicines to the treatment of state-owned enterprises.

Some member countries, including Japan and Canada, want the U.S. to have fast-track in place before making final offers on the trade deal, which would cover 40 per cent of the world economy and raise annual global economic output by nearly US$300 billion.

Negotiators say a deal on the TPP could be wrapped up within weeks once countries are sure Congress will not pick the deal apart, which fast-track prevents.

Representatives from Canada’s trade ministry weren’t immediately available for comment Wednesday afternoon.

“We are optimistic that (fast-track) will lead the way for many new market-opening agreements, including the Trans-Pacific Partnership,” said Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman.

Fast-track “strengthens the ability of the U.S. to advance a robust trade agenda that will expand jobs and opportunities for American businesses, farmers and workers,” Deere CEO Samuel Allen said in a release. Deere estimates about 38 per cent of its 2014 revenues came from outside the U.S. and Canada.

“President Obama can now move forward with trade deals that will allow food to move more freely across international borders,” Cargill CEO CEO David MacLennan said in a separate release. “That’s good news for farmers and consumers all over the world.”

Worker aid bill

Senators showed slightly less support than in an initial vote a month ago for fast-track, which would let lawmakers set negotiating goals for trade deals but restrict them to yes-or-no votes on final agreements.

Fast-track authority lasts for up to six years and would extend to any trade deals negotiated by Obama’s successor, who would take office in January 2017.

The vote came as Congress was trying to finish up the four parts of the trade legislation package and send them to Obama: fast-track negotiating authority, aid for workers who lose their jobs as a result of trade, an Africa trade preferences bill and a customs enforcement measure.

Fast-track was forced back to the Senate floor after a revolt by Democrats in the House of Representatives resulted in it being split from a companion worker aid measure.

That bill received unanimous approval and now returns to the House, where many Democrats who previously opposed the aid program now plan to support it. Their initial opposition was part of a ploy that failed to derail fast-track legislation.

The top Democrat on the House ways and means committee, Sander Levin, said he expects the “vast majority” of Democrats to vote “yes.” That would allow both measures to go to Obama for approval this week, before lawmakers go on a week-long break.

The bruising congressional battle has pitted Obama against many in his own party, including House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, and prompted blood-letting among Republicans after party leaders lashed out at conservatives who refused to back the trade agenda.

Opinion polls show a majority of Americans support trade in general, but congressional approval has been a slog because labour unions and activists have campaigned against fast-track, warning of job losses and vowing to retaliate against Democrats who break ranks to support trade.

The front runner for the party’s presidential nomination in 2016, Hillary Clinton, said Democratic critics had legitimate concerns but has so far reserved judgment on the TPP.

— Krista Hughes and Richard Cowan are Reuters correspondents covering trade policy and Congress respectively from Washington, D.C. Includes files from AGCanada.com Network staff.

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On Wednesday, the Senate was likely to vote to grant Obama the power to speed trade deals through Congress, including his Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). If that happens, the fast-track measure would then go to the White House for Obama’s signature.

That would be a major win for the Democratic president and a setback for one of his allies, U.S. labour unions that have campaigned against the TPP out of fear that it could destroy U.S. jobs. Still, another question remains.

The Senate also was expected to vote soon on legislation to extend and expand a program of federal aid for workers hurt by international trade. If it is approved, the bill would go to the House of Representatives.

House Democrats voted against that bill just 11 days ago. But that vote was meant to block fast-track, and by extension the TPP. Circumstances have now changed and trade-pact supporters are betting that the House will approve the worker aid bill the next time around.

A House vote on fast-track is possible on Thursday, if the Senate approves it.

“Our goal is to get (both measures) to the president’s desk this week,” House Speaker John Boehner said in a statement.

The White House has said that it wants both bills to reach the president’s desk to be signed into law. But a spokesman offered no clarity on Tuesday on whether the president would sign one without the other, or wait for them both to arrive.

Obama administration spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama had no set time frame for signing the bills but that the president is expected to approve both.

Debate limited

The Senate voted 60-37 on Tuesday to limit debate on the fast-track measure. That just barely satisfied the 60-vote threshold needed after two senators who supported the bill on its first run through the Senate a month ago — Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Ben Cardin — changed their votes to “no.”

“Today is a very big vote. It’s an important moment for the country,” said Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, the chamber’s top Republican, in urging senators to support the 12-nation TPP, a central part of Obama’s foreign policy pivot to Asia.

Democrat Sherrod Brown, who voted “no” on fast-track, said the trade deal would benefit companies at the expense of workers. “This is a day of celebration in the corporate suites of this country,” he said after the vote.

Fast-track legislation would let lawmakers set negotiating objectives for trade deals, including the TPP, but restrict them to yes-or-no votes on final agreements.

That would leave just one section of the four-part trade package outstanding, a bill to strengthen customs and enforcement that must be considered by a joint committee of lawmakers from both chambers.

Trading partners want fast-track enacted before finalizing TPP, the biggest trade deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement liberalized commerce between the U.S., Canada and Mexico two decades ago.

The TPP, potentially a legacy-defining agreement for Obama, would open markets for U.S. exporters such as Intel and Caterpillar, extend monopoly periods for Pfizer and rivals’ medicines, and cut import costs for companies such as Wal-Mart.

— Krista Hughes and Richard Cowan report for Reuters from Washington, D.C.

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The House of Representatives voted 218 to 208 to give the White House authority to close trade deals such as the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), which encompasses 40 per cent of the global economy and is close to completion.

But the bill, a stripped-down version of legislation which failed at a vote last week, must now go back to the Senate for approval, where a vote is likely next week.

The House has been wrestling for weeks with fast-track authority, which lets lawmakers set negotiating objectives for trade deals, such as the TPP, but restricts them to a yes-or-no vote on the finished agreement.

Democrats last week dramatically rejected a personal appeal from Obama to back legislation central to his hallmark Pacific Rim trade deal by voting down a companion measure to renew an expiring program to help workers hurt by trade.

The trade package consists of three basic components.

That measure was cut from the bill approved on Thursday, but the change from the original legislation ensures a return to the Senate, delaying final passage further.

In debate before the vote, many Democrats lined up on the House floor to voice their anger with Obama’s trade initiative.

“This thing is modeled after NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement), which cost us five million jobs,” said veteran Democratic Rep. Louise Slaughter.

Republicans, weary of the long struggle to pass fast-track, urged the House to vote and move on. “Enacting trade promotion authority is critical for our economy and for our national security, and so we’re going to get it done here today,” Ways and Means Committee chairman Paul Ryan, a Republican, said.

Democratic Senator Ron Wyden told Reuters pro-trade Democrats were determined to pass both fast-track and the worker aid program and were working on a plan to achieve that goal.

House Speaker John Boehner said he hoped the Senate would soon take up fast-track and the worker aid program, which would be tacked on to a bill renewing trade benefits for African countries.

But members of the Congressional Black Caucus have warned against using the bill as a “bargaining chip” and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who voted against fast-track, said she did not see a path forward for the worker aid program.

Many Democrats, who have strong links to trade unions, fear trade deals such as the TPP will cost U.S. jobs as employers chase lower costs in signatory countries.

The House vote is a good sign for the TPP, which would harmonize standards on issues like intellectual property and labor protections and lower trade barriers among the dozen emerging and developed countries.

Approval of the TPP would open new markets for major U.S. exporters such as Boeing, Ford, IBM, Caterpillar, Merck and Cisco, policy analysts said.

Negotiators are under pressure to finish the pact, which is already more than five years in the making, to allow the TPP to clear Congress before 2016 U.S. presidential election campaigns dominate the agenda.

Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton has yet to take a stand on the deal, but the former secretary of state has said Obama should take on board legitimate concerns expressed by fellow Democrats.

Some TPP partner countries, including Japan and Canada, want fast track in place before making final offers on the trade deal, which economists estimate would boost the global economy by almost $300 billion a year.

Trade deals are controversial in the U.S., which has a share of exports to gross domestic product roughly half that of China, partly because of the country’s past experience with NAFTA.

That pact freed up trade between the U.S., Canada and Mexico and, more than two decades later, is blamed by many for U.S. factory closures and job losses and has soured sentiment toward the TPP.

Canada, also a party to the TPP, has recently faced criticism from the U.S. for holding out on making trade concessions in TPP talks.

Canada’s negotiators, however, have previously said they are waiting to see if the U.S. Congress can pass fast-track authority before making such commitments.

— Krista Hughes and Richard Cowan are Reuters correspondents in Washington, D.C., covering trade policy and Congress respectively. Additional reporting for Reuters by Alex Wilts, David Lawder and Susan Cornwell.

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In a dramatic vote, Obama’s own Democrats, as well as Republicans, rejected a program to give aid to workers who lose their jobs as a result of U.S. trade deals with other countries. The measure was soundly defeated in a 302-126 vote.

That was quickly followed by the House’s narrow approval of a separate measure to give Obama “fast-track” authority to negotiate the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. But the legislation is stuck in the House because of the defeat Obama and House Speaker John Boehner suffered on the first vote.

A House Republican aide told reporters Republican leaders hope to try again Tuesday to pass the worker aid portion of the bill. That would allow the entire trade promotion authority (TPA) legislation to be signed into law by Obama, but its chances were unclear.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest dismissed the failed vote as a “procedural snafu” and was confident Democrats would come around to support the measure.

Republican Pete Sessions said Democrats would have to do some “soul-searching this weekend” to figure out the future of the worker support program, known as trade adjustment assistance (TAA).

“We’re going to pass TPA,” said Sessions, the head of the powerful House rules committee. “The question is going to be whether TAA is going to be in it.”

The worker aid program drew heavy opposition from both parties, with 158 Republicans joining 144 Democrats in voting “no.”

Trading partners such as Japan have urged the U.S. Congress to pass fast-track to help wrap up a Pacific Rim trade deal covering 40 percent of the world’s economy.

Personal plea falls flat

Obama had lobbied hard to win over skeptical Democrats and forged an unusual alliance with the Republicans who control Congress and made a last-ditch personal appeal to congressional Democrats to back his trade agenda on Friday.

Hours before lawmakers were due to vote on legislation central to the trade accord, Obama arrived at Capitol Hill with Labour Secretary Thomas Perez for the culmination of an intense effort to build support among Democrats.

Republican support was always weak for the worker aid part of the “fast-track” trade legislation and Democrats’ support eroded this week following an intensive lobbying campaign by U.S. organized labour leaders.

The AFL-CIO, the country’s largest labour organization, argued that funding for the worker aid program, which runs out in September, would be insufficient.

But it also rallied support for its cause by arguing that a vote against worker aid would be the perfect tactic for stopping fast track dead in its tracks.

Fast-track authority would let lawmakers set negotiating objectives for trade deals, but restrict them to only a yes-or-no vote on the finished agreement.

Many Democrats have worried that giving Obama fast-track authority to finish the TPP would result in job losses in their home districts just as the United States was making economic gains that have led to a brightening jobs picture nationally.

Boehner, the top Republican, in consultation with House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, is expected to weigh next steps.

For example, they could try to make some changes to the worker training program or schedule more one-on-one meetings with lawmakers to allay their concerns.

The Senate, in a strong bipartisan vote, has already approved the package of trade measures, which includes a customs enforcement bill. That piece of the puzzle passed the House too.

— Krista Hughes and Richard Cowan are Reuters correspondents covering trade policy and Congress respectively from Washington, D.C. Additional reporting for Reuters by David Lawder, Julia Edwards, Roberta Rampton, Susan Cornwell, Alex Wilts and Elvina Nawaguna.

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Senators voted 62-38 to give Obama a major victory and set up a speedy decision on the “fast-track” trade negotiating authority the president needs to complete the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. TPP is seen as central to U.S. efforts to counter China’s increasing economic muscle.

Thirteen of 44 Democrats supported the legislation through the second Senate vote. Some supported moving ahead with fast track after Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, assured them he would set a vote next month on a bill to renew the Export-Import Bank’s charter, according to leading Democratic senators. The charter is due to expire at the end of June.

They were joined by 49 of 54 Republicans, giving supporters of the legislation more than the 60 votes needed to proceed in the 100-member Senate.

Senators will now weigh amendments to the bill. If there is co-operation among all senators, the bill could come to a vote later Thursday, with only a simple majority of 51 needed for passage.

Under fast-track, Congress can approve or reject trade deals like the TPP — which includes Canada, Australia, Japan and eight other countries — but not amend their contents.

But the path is not clear yet. The Senate will now start considering amendments to the bill, including controversial sanctions for trading partners that manipulate their currencies, a move opposed by the partners.

The White House has said it will veto the bill if lawmakers insist on penalties over its preference of a diplomatic approach to dissuade countries from deliberately weakening their currencies to make exports cheaper.

The TPP, which is near completion after more than five years of negotiations, would create a free trade zone covering 40 per cent of the world economy. Trading partners have said they want to see fast-track enacted before finalizing the pact, a goal the administration has set for this year.

The bill must also pass the House of Representatives, where an even tougher fight is expected. Some conservatives oppose giving the White House more power and many of Obama’s Democrats worry about the impact on jobs and the environment.

Obama has campaigned aggressively for fast-track over objections from the left wing of the Democratic Party, including Senator Elizabeth Warren, the influential liberal from Massachusetts.

Warren is pushing another amendment that would hobble the TPP by disqualifying any deal from fast-track if it contains provisions to allow companies to sue foreign governments.

Critics say the rules, currently part of the TPP, undermine governments’ ability to set domestic policy on issues like health and the environment, although supporters argue they are essential to avoid discrimination against foreign investors.

The pact is the biggest trade deal since the North American Free Trade Agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

More than two decades later, many blame that deal for factory closures and job losses and see the TPP as producing more of the same.

— Richard Cowan is a Reuters correspondent based in Washington, D.C. Additional reporting for Reuters by Anna Yukhananov, Jason Lange and Krista Hughes.

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“The bill put forward today would help us write those rules in a way that avoids the mistakes from our past, seizes opportunities for our future, and stays true to our values,” Obama said in a statement.

“It would level the playing field, give our workers a fair shot, and for the first time, include strong fully enforceable protections for workers’ rights, the environment, and a free and open internet,” he said.

Past trade deals, he said in a statement, “haven’t always lived up to their promise, and that’s why I will only sign my name to an agreement that helps ordinary Americans get ahead.”

The proposed Bipartisan Trade Priorities and Accountability Act “represents the most significant upgrade to our approach to trade in over four decades,” U.S. Trade Representative Michael From an said separately Thursday.

Trade promotion authority (TPA) is considered a key step toward U.S. involvement in trade pacts — in this case, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), now being negotiated between the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, Mexico and seven other countries.

“TPA is not a new concept that affords extraordinary negotiating powers to the president,” Devry Boughner Vorwerk, director of international business relations for Cargill, said in a separate company release Thursday urging fast-track legislation.

“Every president since (Franklin Roosevelt) has been given fast-track authority to negotiate trade agreements,” said Boughner, who’s also co-chair of the U.S. Business Coalition for TPP.

“Since the last fast-track bill expired in 2007, progress on new free trade agreements has slowed,” she said. “Congress needs to pass TPA if the U.S. wants to keep its place in the world economy.”

— Reporting for Reuters by Roberta Rampton, Jeff Mason and Krista Hughes. Includes files from AGCanada.com Network staff.

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