Negotiations over the complex trade deal took more than five years. On Tuesday, President Barack Obama began what may be a similarly difficult task — selling the Trans-Pacific Partnership to Congress. Obama met with business and agricultural leaders at the Department of Agriculture, as farm groups are urgently behind the deal, as it will remove tariffs and other trade barriers that would increase exports ranging from meat and poultry to grains and cotton.
But several labor groups are worried that it will result in American jobs sent to countries with lower wages. A congressional vote on the pact is not expected to occur until well into next year, providing the unions with the chance to maximize leverage with lawmakers coveting their support.
ABC’s Karen Travers joined us from Washington D.C.
