WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Monday he was “cautiously optimistic” that Congress would support the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact his administration made with 11 Pacific Rim nations.
Speaking to state governors at the White House, Obama said he would have to rely on votes from pro-trade Democrats and Republicans since labor leaders opposed the deal.
Obama noted that Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan had largely been supportive of the pact.
Passing the deal would be a legacy-defining achievement during Obama’s final year in office.