Democrats, White House Reach Deal on New North American Trade Agreement

December 10, 2019 by Dan McCue
Democrats, White House Reach Deal on New North American Trade Agreement

WASHINGTON — Long after some thought an agreement between the House and the Trump administration on a new North American trade pact would require a miracle, a deal was finally announced on the same day the House unveiled impeachment charges against the president.

Both sides said the revamped U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, known as USMCA, is a significant improvement over the original North American Free Trade Agreement.

“There is no question of course that this trade agreement is much better than NAFTA,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in announcing the agreement, saying the pact is “infinitely better than what was initially proposed by the administration.”

Trump said the revamped trade pact will “be great” for the United States.

“It will be the best and most important trade deal ever made by the USA. Good for everybody – Farmers, Manufacturers, Energy, Unions – tremendous support. Importantly, we will finally end our Country’s worst Trade Deal, NAFTA,” the president said via Twitter.

Shortly after the agreement was announced in Washington, Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland joined Mexican officials to sign the updated version of the trade agreement in Mexico City’s centuries-old National Palace.

Lighthizer praised the joint work of the Trump administration, Democrats, business and labor leaders to reach an agreement, calling it “nothing short of a miracle that we have all come together.”

A U.S. House vote is likely before Congress adjourns for the year and the Senate is likely to vote in January or February. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said the vote on the trade deal will likely occur after an expected impeachment trial in the Senate.

Pelosi was the key congressional force behind the deal. She and Ways and Means Committee Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., forged a positive working relationship with Lighthizer, whom they credited with working in good faith.

“Thanks to President Trump’s leadership, we have reached an historic agreement on the USMCA. After working with Republicans, Democrats, and many other stakeholders for the past two years we have created a deal that will benefit American workers, farmers, and ranchers for years to come,” Lighthizer said. “This will be the model for American trade deals going forward.”

A key to getting Democrats to rally around USMCA was the 11th-hour support of organized labor.

“There is no denying that the trade rules in America will now be fairer because of our hard work and perseverance. Working people have created a new standard for future trade negotiations,”said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “President Trump may have opened this deal. But working people closed it.”

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said, “There’s a general agreement — not total agreement, it’s not unanimity — that USMCA is better. It’s an improvement. And to the extent that Trumka and labor comes out and says that this is an improvement, I think that that will be unifying.”

A+
a-
  • Donald Trump
  • House Democrats
  • Robert Lighthizer
  • Steny Hoyer
  • USMCA
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Trade

    China to Challenge Biden's Electric Vehicle Plans at the WTO

    BEIJING (AP) — China filed a World Trade Organization complaint against the U.S. on Tuesday over what it says are... Read More

    BEIJING (AP) — China filed a World Trade Organization complaint against the U.S. on Tuesday over what it says are discriminatory requirements for electric vehicles subsidies. Starting this year, U.S. car buyers are not eligible for tax credits of $3,750 to $7,500 if critical minerals or other battery... Read More

    March 21, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Lawmakers Say US Semiconductors Sometimes Used by Foreign Adversaries

    WASHINGTON — A congressional panel juggled competing interests Thursday of trying to lead the world in industrial development without having... Read More

    WASHINGTON — A congressional panel juggled competing interests Thursday of trying to lead the world in industrial development without having the new technologies fall into the hands of foreign militaries that might want to harm the United States. More than anything, lawmakers want more and better... Read More

    Biden to Convene New Supply Chain Council, Announce 30 Steps to Strengthen US Logistics

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday will convene the first meeting of his supply chain resilience council, using the event... Read More

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Monday will convene the first meeting of his supply chain resilience council, using the event to announce 30 actions to improve access to medicine and needed economic data and other programs tied to the production and shipment of goods. “We’re determined... Read More

    October 11, 2023
    by Kate Michael
    Trade Rep. Tai Outlines Biden's Worker-Centered Trade Policies 

    WASHINGTON — The United States is at a crossroads in its trade agenda, with pivotal negotiations and policy shifts on... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The United States is at a crossroads in its trade agenda, with pivotal negotiations and policy shifts on the horizon. Two notable initiatives, the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity and the Global Arrangement for Sustainable Steel and Aluminum, are set to redefine how the... Read More

    August 10, 2023
    by Tom Ramstack
    Biden Orders Restrictions on Trade With China in National Security Move

    WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday restricting American investments and exports of expertise in high-tech technologies... Read More

    WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden signed an executive order Wednesday restricting American investments and exports of expertise in high-tech technologies China is developing that could be used for its military modernization. The order targets investment in semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum computing and some artificial intelligence. Biden... Read More

    July 28, 2023
    by Kate Michael
    Commerce Secretary Raimondo Spearheads Indo-Pacific Economic Framework

    WASHINGTON — While Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are on their tandem investment visit... Read More

    WASHINGTON — While Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin are on their tandem investment visit to the Indo-Pacific, a third Biden administration official, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, was touting the region as an epicenter of economic growth and dynamism at... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top