Canada

A new wrench has been thrown into U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiations between Mexican Under Secretary for North America Jesús Seade and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, a key lawmaker told reporters on Thursday.

“As it is, the window of opportunity for 2019 is extremely tight.”

President Trump on Monday said the speaker “should put it up for a vote because, at some point pretty soon, you're going to have Canada and you're going have Mexico say, 'What's going on? Send the agreement back. Let's not make the deal.'”

Key House Democrats negotiating outstanding U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement concerns with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative are waiting for administration officials to put their agreements in writing before moving forward, they said on Thursday.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative is pushing auto companies to commit that all of their output -- even autos manufactured and sold within the U.S. -- will meet U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement regional value requirements, tying the demand to requests for longer transition periods for complying with USMCA auto rules of origin, sources tell Inside U.S. Trade.

Any agreement on a U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement implementing bill hammered out by House Democrats and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative will have to be reviewed and approved by Mexico and Canada, Mexican Under Secretary for North America Jesús Seade said on Thursday, suggesting the process could delay ratification.

Despite losses by Trudeau’s Liberal party, USMCA is not expected to face strong opposition in parliament.

A House working group set up to address Democrats' concerns with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is making progress in its talks with the administration, House Ways & Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) said on Thursday, saying the sides were “firming it up” but acknowledging more progress was needed on labor.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has yet to receive a letter on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement promised by Mexican President t Andrés Manuel López Obrador last week, Pelosi told Inside U.S. Trade on Wednesday.