Following President Barack Obama’s State of the Union Address, the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) said it was encouraged the president’s call to pass legislation that would reauthorize the Trade Promotion Authority was welcomed with bipartisan support from members of Congress,

“A strong, bipartisan focus on modernizing TPA will have a tremendous, positive impact on the country's economic growth and job creation,” the association said, which represents 550 dairy foods companies and suppliers.

IDFA said the dairy industry has a lot to gain from two trade agreements currently in negotiations—the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership.

 “Trade Promotion Authority is an important tool for getting those agreements through Congress and ensuring that the United States has the opportunity to connect U.S. companies and their products with consumers around the globe,” IDFA said.