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Obama leaves for Asia amidst TPP speculation

President Barack Obama left for Asia today amidst speculation about what the trip will mean for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations.

Obama stopped in Washington state to survey mudslide damage before heading to Japan to begin a four-nation tour.

Officials have said they do not expect a breakthrough in the difficult TPP talks with Japan, but Acting Deputy Trade Representative Wendy Cutler went ahead of the president to Tokyo to continue TPP negotiations, focusing on agricultural market access and automobile related issues.

Trade Representative Michael Froman is traveling to Asia as part of Obama’s visits to Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines.

More than 60 House members wrote Froman and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack Sunday urging the administration to press Japan to eliminate tariff and non-tariff trade barriers for U.S. agricultural products as part of the TPP talks, the National Pork Producers Council said in a news release Monday.

Meanwhile, Democratic Reps. George Miller of California, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Louise Slaughter of New York wrote an article published in the Los Angeles Times on Monday citing “seemingly intractable problems TPP negotiators are grappling with.”

Los Angeles Times Op-Ed — Free trade on steroids: The threat of the Trans-Pacific Partnership