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Trying to ramp up pressure on the White House to move forward on a trio of trade pacts, Senate Republicans said Monday that they would block confirmation of a new Commerce secretary or any other trade nominee until President Obama submitted trade deals with South Korea, Colombia and Panama for ratification.

Leading Republicans said they had commitments from 44 Republican senators, more than enough to filibuster any nominee for the Cabinet post being vacated by Gary Locke. Senator Rob Portman of Ohio, a former Bush administration trade representative, said Republicans were acting to encourage the administration to advance trade deals the president supports.

“We’re trying to help the president to do what he has talked about, of doubling exports over the next five years,” said Mr. Portman, who said the trade deals would create an estimated 250,000 jobs. “We can only do it by opening more markets to U.S. workers and farmers and service providers. And these three agreements are a great way to do it.”

Democrats criticized the Republican approach. “This tactic is a diversion from our goal and is simply not the way to ensure their passage,” Senator Max Baucus, the Montana Democrat and chairman of the Finance Committee, said. “It is time for us to work together to approve these agreements.”

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