A high-ranking U.S. senator is voicing concerns about the White House’s plan to have the Korea-U.S. free trade agreement (FTA) approved prior to the ratification of the FTAs with Panama and Colombia.

Democratic Senator Max Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, told U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk at a hearing Wednesday that a free trade deal with South Korea won't pass Congress unless it is combined with the trade deals with Panama and Colombia.

The remarks by Baucus have raised concerns that a bumpy road lies ahead in regards to the parliamentary ratification of the Korea-U.S. trade deal by Washington.

The Democratic Party has backed the U.S. administration, led by President Barack Obama, in pushing to have the Korea-U.S. trade pact approved first.