the agenda. reid s not alone. other democrats have weighed in. a january letter to the u.s. trade representative michael froemen, from members of the u.s. finance committee, we are not prepared to support the legislation that does not provide mechanisms that enable congress to hold u.s. trade representative more accountable through the negotiation process. in other words, they re looking for transpaernssy and accountability, something they believe congress must enforce. on monday, 550 labor and environmental advocacy groups sent a letter rejecting fast track, and major unions like the teamsters are pushing back. can t allow this agreement to be rammed through congress with an up or down vote. no one doubts the value of fair trade, but it s not fair if it puts american workers at a disadvantage. the president does have allies. business allies. chamber of commerce. but so far, it s been an uphill fight. republicans back the trade deals, but blame the administration for not working hard e
nevertheless, administration officials say they re confident the deals will eventually get done, but will it be in 2014. froemen told financial times moving a trade bill through congress is a marathon, not a sprint. everything is on track, and dennis mcdonough said the president is not done talking to harry reid. senator reid has been a great friend of the president s. we ll continue to work on this. his position on trade has been clear. will the president try to get on the phone? the president will continue to work on this. joining me now is the former u.s. trade representative, ron kirk, and ambassador to singapore, now ceo of export now, based outside the united states. welcome to both of you. mr. kirk, let me start with you. this is, i m sure, in some cases you re not missing your old job, having to navigate the waters. this is not an issue. the concern that nafta the perception in the midwest, and this is where the heat is coming from, from labor, nafta, the