The U.S. Senate Finance Committee and the House Committee on Ways and Means have respectively adopted bills recommending the ratification of three pending free trade agreements, including one with South Korea.

The Senate Finance Committee convened a mock markup on Thursday and deliberated on the bill urging the ratification of trade deals with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. The bill was adopted by a vote of 13-eleven.

The House Committee on Ways and Means also adopted a similar bill by a vote of 22-15. It did not touch on the issue of renewing the Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) program.

Senior legislators of the Democratic and Republican parties have strongly hinted that they will seek to hold further discussions on the renewal of the TAA program, which centers on providing support to Americans adversely impacted by the trade pacts.