The U.S. House and Senate passage of bilateral free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama on October 12 clears the way for long-delayed implementation.

The White House submitted trade deals with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea on Monday. Key legislators indicated the long-pending deals could win approval before Congress breaks for recess later this month.

In a June 17 letter to U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, Council of the Americas urges swift passage of the Colombia and Panama free-trade agreements.

In a June 17 letter to the U.S. House Majority Leader John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the Council of the Americas urges swift passage of free-trade agreements with Colombia and Panama.

During COA's annual Washington Conference, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on Latin American governments to speed up reforms, saying that U.S. President Barack Obama is pushing to get Congress to pass the stalled trade agreements with Colombia and Panama.

The U.S.-Colombia free trade agreement has moved closer to submission to Congress. A new COA update looks at the progress and potential next steps for advancing the bilateral trade pact.

Senate Republicans ratcheted up pressure for passage of Colombia and Panama trade pacts this week, warning they would potentially block a commerce secretary appointment if the Obama administration does not usher through the deals.