The "La Crosse Tribune" reported in January 2014 that Kind was coming "under increasing criticism from those on the left who say his support of new free-trade agreements will kill jobs." For example, he urged fellow House members to vote for the Trans-Pacific Partnership—a comprehensive agreement with 11 other Pacific nations. At the Democratic National Convention, protesters criticized Kind for his support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. "There's confusion; people are conflating trade with trade agreements", Kind insisted. "The trade that's going on absent trade agreements has not worked well for us: China, Brazil, India. We don't have trade agreements with those countries." Ultimately, at Trump's direction, the U.S. withdrew from consideration of the TPP, and the remaining members consolidated the agreement into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, which came into force in 2018, forming one of the largest trading blocs globally.