Lawmakers strike deal to fast-track trade pacts

WASHINGTON — Top congressional lawmakers struck a long-sought , bipartisan agreement Thursday for the broadest trade policy pac t in years, allowing President Barack Obama to negotiate trade accords for Congress’ review and move forward with talks on a sweeping par tnership with Pacific nations.

Obama quickly said he will sign the bill if Congress passes it.

“It’s no secret that past trade deal s haven’t always lived up to their promise,” Obama said in a statement. “And that’s why I will only sign my name to an agree - ment that helps ordinary Americans get ahead.”

Chief among the challenges of passing the bill are divisions within the president’s own party. Liberal and pro-business Democrats are bitterly split over the deal’s potenti al for creating or subtracting American jobs. Under the legislation, Congress gets an upor-down vote on any such deals, but in exchange it cannot make changes — a concern for labor, environmental and other interest groups.

House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio applauded the deal but sai d much of the burden of its success rests with Obama.

“He must secure the support from his own par ty that’s needed to ensure strong, bipart is an passage,” Boehner said.

For Obama, the “fast trac k” legislation comes at an opportune time. He’s negotiating the Trans-Pacific Partner- ship, which proposes a trade agreement involving the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico and seven other Pacific Rim nations.

Labor unions and others say the pac t would hurt U.S. job growth and encourage other countries to abuse workers and the environment. The Obama administration rejects those claims, and says U.S. goods and services must have greater access to foreign buyererss.

One Democrat, Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, said the agreement marked only a start and could be derailed by amendments that might be added when lawmakers consi der the bill in committees.

Brown and other Democrats who are aligned with organized labor are often highly suspicious of trade legislation.

They argue such measures wind up destroying jobs in the U.S. and creating jobs in nations that lack the environmental and worker safe.ty protections O that exist in the United States.