US Congress approves trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama

Ending a long stalemate, US Congress approved three new trade agreements Wednesday evening, signing off on deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama in an attempt to increase U.S. exports and create thousands of jobs.

Among the potential winners are U.S. agricultural producers who grow cherries, potatoes and apples -- big crops in Washington and the Northwest. Farmers expect sales to rise substantially when tariffs are lifted.

"There is no question that these agreements will increase jobs,"Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., said in a speech on the House floor.

The pacts, approved by wide margins in the House and Senate, represent the nation's biggest trade deals since passage of the controversial North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994.

Read more on the effects of these trade deals for the US potato industry in: National Potato Council applauds US Administration for sending trade pacts to Congress