Obama Advisers Rally on Trade as Pacific-Rim Talks Falter

Some of President Barack Obama’s top advisers made a forceful case for his trade agenda today, signaling continued interest in the topic even as the president left Japan without an agreement he had hoped to announce.

“It’s one of the most important things that we’re undertaking,” Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker said of the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-nation Pacific trade accord. “The TPP agreement is foundational for our economic growth policy.”