Late last week, the White House put Congress on notice that it will soon send lawmakers a bill to implement President Barack Obama's landmark Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement - a move intended to infuse new energy into efforts to ratify the flat-lining trade pact.

The move establishes a 30-day minimum before the administration can present the legislation, but the White House is unlikely to do so amid the heated rhetoric of a presidential campaign in which both major party nominees have negatively depicted TPP.

Last Friday's notification is the clearest signal yet that the White House is serious about getting TPP passed by the end of the year, as the President has vowed to do despite the misgivings of Republican leaders and the outright opposition of a majority of Democrats in Congress.

The notification, a new requirement of the trade promotion authority legislation Congress passed last year to expedite passage of the Asia-Pacific pact, is meant to ensure early consultations between the administration and Congress.

The White House's draft document describes the major steps the administration will take to implement any changes to U.S. law required by the deal. However there is still resistance in Congress regarding TPP with many Members looking for changes to a number of areas.

As such, it is imperative that American Soybean Association (ASA) members engage with Members of Congress in their state during the month of August and encourage them to bring TPP up for a vote in the Lame Duck Session.