In the wake of Election 2014, both President Obama and Republican leaders in Congress expressed a commitment to working together on issues where they agree.

On Thursday, House Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., made an eloquent address in favor of two major foreign trade agreements that present just such an opportunity for bipartisan agreement — the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. Negotiations surrounding the former involve countries on the Pacific Rim, from Australia to Japan to Canada. The latter agreement involves Europe.