The U.S. brokered a historic accord Monday to ease trade in goods and services among a dozen Pacific-rim nations that make up about 40 percent of the world economy.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership, five years in the making, will now be subject to months of scrutiny by lawmakers that could yet derail it. Critics on both sides of the U.S. Congress have denounced the deal, saying it threatens American jobs or fails to give companies enough protection.
The accord was announced after a week of final talks in Atlanta. Labor groups said the Pacific accord will send jobs out of the U.S. as previous trade accords have done. Communications Workers of America President Chris Shelton called the pact “a bad deal for working families and communities” and said the union and its allies will “be certain to hold accountable those members of Congress who support this giveaway to the 1 percent.”