A U.S. House of Representatives committee passed a bipartisan bill on Thursday that is being billed as a step toward concluding the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement.
The move came a day after a Senate panel approved the bill. Attention will now focus on whether both chambers can pass the bill soon, amid resistance by lawmakers critical of the 12-country TPP, fearing it would result in job losses.
Lawmakers who oppose the bill include influential members of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party, such as Nancy Pelosi, a former House of Representatives speaker.
The lower house's Committee on Ways and Means handling trade issues passed the bill for trade promotion authority on Wednesday. It would grant Obama authority to sign the TPP and other trade deals with only an up-or-down vote from Congress.
Chief negotiators from the United States, Japan and 10 other countries also resumed their talks near Washington on Wednesday. The previous session in Hawaii last month ended without a breakthrough.
Koji Tsuruoka, Japan's chief TPP negotiator, told reporters that he is encouraged by the ongoing congressional deliberations on the bill, which he hopes will aid the TPP negotiations.
"Japan, for its part, would like to do its utmost" so the whole process can make progress, he said. "We are meeting over a short period of time and hope to comb through issues that need to be addressed and pave the way for another round of ministerial-level talks."
The latest round of TPP talks, which also involve officials from Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam,are expected to run through Sunday.
Negotiation sources said the main sticking points are intellectual property, including the protection of data on development of new pharmaceutical products, and reforms of state-owned enterprises.