The Obama administration on Tuesday, in a letter to congressional leaders, announced its intention to move forward with a massive free trade agreement that would be the largest since the North American Free Trade Agreement.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said in a letter that the U.S. plans to begin negotiations to enter into the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The TPP is currently comprised of Brunei, Chile, New Zealand and Singapore. Vietnam and Australia are in negotiations to enter the free trade zone. In addition, Kirk said that he would eventually like to see Japan, Malaysia, Peru and South Korea enter the fold as well.

“U.S. participation in the TPP agreement is predicated on the shared objective of expanding this initial group to additional countries,” Kirk wrote.

The U.S. currently has bilateral trade agreements with Chile, Peru, Singapore and Australia as well as a negotiated but yet-to-be-ratified deal with South Korea.

The negotiations are set to begin in March of next year, but the harder part may be convincing congress to ratify the deal. The U.S. currently has three already negotiated bilateral free trade agreements waiting to be voted on by congress – with South Korea, Columbia and Panama.

Most Congressional Democrats and a growing slice of the American public are increasingly disillusioned with free trade because of massive jobs loss, exploding trade deficit, environmental and human rights concerns and worries about product safety.

The one argument the administration can make that may hold some sway is the fact that entering into the agreement could provide an opportunity to blunt China’s growing influence in the region.

Even so, it will be an uphill battle. One Senior Democrat, Sander Levin, the chairman of the trade subcommittee in the House Ways and Means Committee, is already raising objections. He said that Vietnam would have to allow workers to organize and Japan would have to be more willing to accept American auto imports before a deal could even be considered, according to Bloomberg News.

The news is certainly music to the ears of Republicans, however, who urged the president to move forward with his trade agenda in an effort to create jobs.

“I would submit to the administration that there are three ways, three bills that we can bring forward that don’t cost us money, that don’t add to our nation’s debt, that create free jobs here in our country for manufacturing, for agriculture, and for our service sector base,” Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) said. “And they are Panama, Colombia and South Korea.”

But, following the lead of the snake-oil salesmen that came before him, those that sold the American public on NAFTA, Kirk said that the deal would reflect U.S. values, create an untold amount of jobs in the U.S. and make American businesses more competitive.

“The TPP I intend to negotiate and conclude will reflect U.S. priorities and values, enhance American competitiveness, and generate job-creating opportunities for American businesses and workers,” he said.

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