US Senate panel to start work on trade deals

WASHINGTON, June 28 (Reuters) - The Senate Finance Committee said it will begin long-awaited action this Thursday on three free U.S. trade agreements with South Korea, Colombia and Panama that have been stalled for years.

The draft bills to implement the agreements include "an extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance," the Finance Committee said in its announcement, setting up a possible battle with Senate Republicans over the pacts. Trade Adjustment Assistance is a federal retraining program for workers who have lost their jobs because of foreign competition.

(Reporting by Doug Palmer; editing by Will Dunham)