US Secretary of State John Kerry is lauding the initial backing of US lawmakers for a bill that gives President Barack Obama "fast-track" authority to speed up negotiations for trade agreements.
A Senate panel has approved new fast-track legislation.
It empowers the President to negotiate trade deals and then present them to Congress for up-or-down votes, with no amendments allowed.
Kerry says the bill will give the President flexibility to negotiate.
"In the modern world, we simply cannot expect our economies to grow and generate new jobs if all we do is buy and sell to ourselves. We, and by that I mean the United States, should be deeply engaged in helping to write the rules for trade."
Kerry says the legislation is critical in helping move forward trade talks with countries in the Asia-Pacific and the Europe Union.
Obama has made conclusion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations one of his top priorities as part of his second-term in office.
Liberal Democrats and activists from labor unions have been attempting to stonewall Obama's trade agenda, arguing foreign trade deals hurt US workers and increased income inequality.
