Negotiations over a major new global trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership have hit a snag after the Obama administration proposed allowing tobacco companies to challenge anti-smoking policies in participating countries. The position has been criticized by the American Cancer Society, the American Lung Association, the American Heart Association and other anti-smoking groups. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized the U.S. proposal, saying it “would be a colossal public health mistake and potentially contribute to the deaths of tens of millions of people around the world.” In recent years, the tobacco industry has used other trade and investment pacts to challenge anti-smoking measures in the United States, Australia, Uruguay, Ireland, Norway and Turkey.