The No. 2 Republican in the U.S. Senate said on Tuesday that American trade officials hoped to present a Pacific trade deal to Congress for consideration within the next two months.

"On the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the U.S. Trade Representative has been calling a number of us and saying that he thinks we are sort of on a two-month trajectory to getting something he'd like us to take up in Congress," Sen. John Cornyn told reporters.

Cornyn said Congress would have to move "pretty quickly" on fast-track authority, which gives Congress only an up-or-down vote on free trade agreements in exchange for setting negotiating goals and laying out rules for consulting with lawmakers.