WASHINGTON, March 17 (Reuters) - U.S. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said on Tuesday he was hopeful President Barack Obama would submit the Colombian free trade agreement to Congress this year, despite Obama's opposition to the deal during his campaign.
Hoyer, a supporter of a trade deal with Colombia, said he was discussing the matter with the Obama administration but he didn't think they would do anything on the matter until after U.S. Trade Representative-designee Ron Kirk is confirmed by the Senate.
"We are having discussions with the administration as to when they might want to do that, if they might want to do it," Hoyer told reporters. "I don't want to predict what they are going to do.
"I'm hopeful that it will be" submitted, Hoyer said. "As you know, I'm for it."
The administration of former President George W. Bush negotiated the agreement but was unable to get Congress to pass it before it left office.
Obama opposed the deal during his campaign for the presidency. He has said Colombia needs to do more to stop killings of union leaders and bring murderers to justice.
But his administration has said they want to work with Congress to establish benchmarks for progress on both the Colombia and South Korea free trade deals that Bush's team negotiated.
U.S. trade officials also have said the White House would likely submit a less controversial free trade agreement with Panama to Congress before proceeding to either the Colombia or the South Korea deal.
Hoyer said that Rep. Sander Levin, the chairman of the House Ways and Means subcommittee on trade, had some ideas "as to what further steps need to be taken. Clearly those ideas are going to be very important to me."
Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said last week Colombia must amend its labor laws to comply with International Labor Organization standards and take other steps to ensure murderers of trade unionists there are brought to justice. (Editing by Bill Trott)