Photographer: SeongJoon Cho/Bloomberg 
 
 President Obama's high-stakes bid to complete one of the largest free trade pacts in U.S. history--over the objections of most Democrats--moved ahead Thursday when the Senate introduced bipartisan legislation that would give his administration vast new powers to close the deal. 
 
 The fast-track trade bill from Sens. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) would allow the president to present a final agreement to Congress for an up-or-down vote without lawmakers being able to amend the terms. A similar bill, drafted by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), is expected to be introduced in the House in the coming weeks. 
 
 Hatch, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said he would hold a markup and vote on the bill April 23. 
 
 [Obama’s proposal for more trade with Asia may not go over so well in his own party] 
 
 Obama administration officials have called fast-track authority crucial to wrapping up negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-nation trade and regulatory deal in the Asia Pacific that Obama has touted as a cornerstone of his second-term agenda. 
 
 "My top priority in any trade negotiation is expanding opportunity for hardworking Americans," Obama said in a statement Thursday. "It’s no secret that past trade deals haven’t always lived up to their promise, and that’s why I will only sign my name to an agreement that helps ordinary Americans get ahead. At the same time, at a moment when 95 percent of our potential customers live outside our borders, we must make sure that we, and not countries like China, are writing the rules for the global economy." 
 
 The president has said the deal would help ensure U.S. competitiveness in the face of a rising China. But getting it across the finish line on Capitol Hill will mark a major leadership test for Obama. The deal faces fierce opposition from many Democrats, labor unions and environmental groups. They said the TPP will kill U.S. jobs and benefit large, multinational corporations. 
 
 The AFL-CIO announced Thursday it would launch a six-figure ad buy to fight the fast-track bill in a series of digital ads targeting 16 senators and 36 House members. The campaign could expand to newspapers and television, the organization said. 
 
 The fast-track bill, formally known as "trade promotion authority," was negotiated for months between Hatch and Wyden, with the Democrat under increasing pressure from liberal groups not to sign onto the legislation. 
 
 [White House counts on Sen. Wyden to deliver on a trade deal] 
 
 Presidents have over the past 40 years enjoyed fast-track powers on trade, but the powers have not been renewed since they expired in 2007 under George W. Bush. Obama and his aides have said they need the authority because other countries are unwilling to agree to final terms if they believe Congress will amend the pact afterward. 
 
 "We must speak with one voice in our demands and provide assurance that we will deliver what we promise," Hatch said. 
 
 Wyden fought for, and won, a number of provisions aimed at ensuring greater public transparency in the trade negotiations, as well as a key provision that would allow the Senate to turn off the fast-track authority if the Obama administration fails to live up to certain requirements during the negotiations. 
 
 "One issue that has come up again and again is the excessive secrecy that seems to have accompanied so much of this debate," Wyden said Thursday. "American trade policy needs to be debated openly." 
 
 The bill also includes provisions mandating that the administration pursue protections for workers and the environment and a stipulation that U.S. negotiators make human rights a priority, though that provision lacks specifics. 
 
 Politically, the legislation places Obama squarely against a majority of House Democrats and a large bloc of Senate Democrats, many of whom believe previous trade deals hurt U.S. workers. In a sign of how difficult the fight will be, Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is expected to take over as leader of his party in the Senate in 2017, said he was skeptical of the TPP because it lacks protections against currency manipulation. 
 
 "All evidence I’ve seen is that this hurts middle-class incomes," he said at a hearing before the trade bill was introduced. "I can’t be for it." 
 
 Later Thursday, Schumer said that support from him and many Democrats would depend on a separate currency manipulation bill that Hatch has promised to bring up, saying he would not settle for a "milquetoast" measure. 
 
 Hatch made clear that he'll give Schumer the chance in committee, but that TPP would move on its own track. "We'll do a bill on currency manipulation, but it can't be part of this, or it's dead. So we can't kill trade just because somebody wants one aspect or another," Hatch said. 
 
 Sen. Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.), the minority whip, estimated that only a quarter of Senate Democrats were in the president's camp right now. He broke down his caucus ranks this way: "A fourth, hell no; a fourth, lean yes; and a big group undecided." 
 
 With most Senate Republicans likely to support the fast-track legislation, most corporate and union officials expect the Senate to clear the bill in May and set up a much bigger fight in the House, where the margins are incredibly narrow at the moment. 
 
 Several dozen House Republicans either come from manufacturing districts and do not support trade deals, or are just so opposed to giving Obama any new authority that they would vote no. That means Obama would need to deliver more than 30 Democrats to win passage in the House, which insiders on both sides of the aisle say is not guaranteed. 
 
 "This is wrong, and members of Congress will not stand for it," said Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn.), who has led the liberal opposition to trade deals. ||||| Washington (CNN) Sensing his free trade agenda was hours from a stunning defeat, President Barack Obama went to Capitol Hill on Friday morning to make a personal plea for his own party's support. 
 
 Democrats ignored him. 
 
 And now, the prospects for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the biggest free trade deal in history, to be finalized and adopted are grim -- unless Democrats can be convinced to change their minds or Republicans can find another way to revive the bills and rescue Obama's biggest second-term legislative priority. 
 
 The House overwhelmingly rejected the first in a series of trade bills Friday, with Democrats voting against a program that aids displaced workers -- in large part because, under the chamber's procedures, its defeat meant the vote on the so-called "fast track" bill that followed was only symbolic, so the measure couldn't be sent to Obama's desk. 
 
 In a statement released Friday afternoon, Obama praised the approval of the fast-track bill and continued to press for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. 
 
 "These kinds of agreements make sure that the global economy's rules aren't written by countries like China; they're written by the United States of America," Obama said. "And to stand in their way is to do nothing but preserve the long-term status quo for American workers, and make it even harder for them to succeed." 
 
 But Friday's votes provided the clearest evidence yet that, with 19 months left in his presidency, Obama's pulpit is less bully than it's ever been before. 
 
 It also showcased the strength of populist elements of both parties, who beat back an intense lobbying push from traditional Washington forces like the Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. 
 
 Friday's vote doesn't mean the package of trade bills are dead. House Republican leaders have called for re-votes by Tuesday, and noted that they could even delay those votes further if necessary, buying Obama a little more time to lobby his own party and GOP leaders time to twist arms. 
 
 In fact, the most controversial element of the package -- trade promotion authority, which allows Obama to submit deals like the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership to Congress for a vote without amendments, which trade negotiators say is crucial to finalizing the deal -- actually narrowly passed. 
 
 That vote, though, was meaningless because of House procedural rules that said a separate bill that included Trade Adjustment Assistance -- a program that helps workers who lose their jobs due to trade shifts, and that's typically favored by Democrats -- also had to pass, but it was defeated, 302-126. 
 
 But the prospect of a re-vote gave the White House reason for optimism on Friday. 
 
 White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest termed the trade failure a "procedural snafu," adding that it still reflected a success that lawmakers were able to pass promotion authority. 
 
 Earnest called Obama's visit with House Democrats on Friday "productive" and said the President would continue working with lawmakers to advance his trade agenda. 
 
 The Pelosi factor 
 
 It was House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, the California Democrat who shepherded some of Obama's most controversial first-term bills like health care reform into law, who hurt the President the most on Friday. 
 
 After staying on the sidelines for most of the trade fight, Pelosi took to the House floor and announced her opposition to the bill -- giving cover to other Democrats who were considering breaking with Obama. 
 
 JUST WATCHED Democrat "insulted" by Obama trade pitch Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Democrat "insulted" by Obama trade pitch 01:15 
 
 She acknowledged the strangeness of Democrats rejecting a Trade Adjustment Assistance measure they've favored for decades, but said the purpose was to win a broader fight. 
 
 "Our people would rather have a job than trade assistance," Pelosi said. "Its defeat, sad to say, is the only way that we will be able to slow down the fast track." 
 
 With Pelosi's opposition and Hillary Clinton, the Democratic front-runner in the 2016 presidential race, also keeping mum on trade promotion authority, Obama had scant high-level support within his own ranks. 
 
 Obama unable to sway Democrats 
 
 The President attended a 9:30 a.m. gathering of House Democrats, making his case after several high-level officials -- including Labor Secretary Tom Perez and White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough -- made their cases in the days leading up to the vote. 
 
 As he left the meeting, Obama said, "I don't think you ever nail anything down around here. It's always moving." 
 
 Democrats who attended said they weren't swayed and that the President's outreach came too late. 
 
 "The President tried to both guilt people and impugn their integrity. I was insulted," Rep. Peter Defazio, D-Oregon, told reporters after the meeting. 
 
 One House Democrat told CNN on the condition of anonymity that in Friday's meeting, Obama "was fine until he turned it at the end and became indignant and alienated some folks. Bottom line, he may have swayed some Ds to vote yes, but Pelosi sealed the deal to vote no." 
 
 Another House Democrat said Obama's last-minute lobbying effort "absolutely" hurt the bill's chances. 
 
 "Democrats believe they often are taken granted and not appreciated," this House Democrat said. "There was a very strong concern about the lost jobs and growing income inequality. Unions are the last line of defense. A number of reporters have asked whether Democrats felt threatened by the unions. Most told me that they wanted to do nothing to further weaken unions." 
 
 Added this member of Congress, pointedly: "Ms. Clinton should take notice." 
 
 Republicans pushed hard for the trade package, but indicated it would largely be up to Obama to convince Democrats to change their mind on the Trade Adjustment Assistance portion of the set of bills. 
 
 House Speaker John Boehner called Friday's rejection of that bill "disappointing." 
 
 "Republicans did our part, and we remain committed to free trade because it is critical to creating jobs and growing our economy," he said. "I'm pleased that a bipartisan House majority supported trade promotion authority. This is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to take stock and move forward in a constructive fashion on behalf of the American people." 
 
 The next steps 
 
 Going into the weekend, it was unclear what exactly could change over the weekend to lead to a different result early next week, and which, if any, Democrats would vote differently if the TAA portion of the bill were to be reconsidered. 
 
 Pelosi already had her demands in mind. In a letter to House Democrats, she said the prospects for trade promotion authority would "greatly increase with the passage of a robust highway bill." 
 
 Other Democrats made the case that Democrats might realize their gambit could result in the elimination of the Trade Adjustment Assistance program after the symbolic vote in favor of trade promotion authority -- the bill Democrats really want to kill. 
 
 "If members of my caucus come to the belief that ... you could end up getting fast track without Trade Adjustment Assistance, I think many of my colleagues would reconsider Trade Adjustment Assistance," New York Democratic Rep. Steve Israel said. But, he added, "I don't think anybody knows where we're going right now. 
 
 Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan, the point person for House Republicans on trade, told reporters after Friday's votes, "this isn't over yet." 
 
 "America is being watched by the rest of world," Ryan warned, adding, "now the President has some work yet to do with his party to complete this process."
– One of President Obama's biggest goals for his home stretch in office took a big step forward today with a deal struck by leading Republicans and Democrats. It's regarding the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a proposed pact with 11 Pacific Rim nations that the Hill notes would be the biggest trade deal since NAFTA. In this case, the usual DC politics are flipped: Most Democrats oppose the president and most Republicans support him, reports the Wall Street Journal. Despite today's progress—it was introduced as "fast-track" legislation in the House and Senate—its ultimate fate is unclear in Congress. The New York Times predicts that for Obama, it will be "one of the toughest legislative battles of his last 19 months in office." Making it fast-track legislation means that lawmakers would vote yes or no on the deal once the US and the other nations agree on terms, but they would not be able to add amendments. That greatly increases Obama's chances of getting other nations—including Japan, Vietnam, Canada, and Mexico—to sign on, because they wouldn't have to fear later changes. A sign of the challenges supporters face: The AFL-CIO says it will spend six figures on ads going after 16 senators and 36 members of the House, reports the Washington Post. The group is worried about the loss of US jobs, but Obama says the deal is necessary if America hopes to stay competitive against China.