President Barack Obama is making a big push for a 12-nation trade deal in the Asia Pacific region. It's called the Transpacific Partnership, or TPP.

On Tuesday, Congress is set to take up a bill that would fast-track the process, something the president has been calling for. But both the trade pact and the congressional action have drawn criticism from some of Mr. Obama's traditional allies.

For more, we're joined by Paul Kane, congressional reporter for the Washington Post and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, professor of history at the University California, Irvine and author of "China in the 21st Century."