Canada

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), the House chief deputy whip, said on Wednesday that Congress would pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement this year, hinting at a significant number of Democrats likely to support it.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, joined by 600 other business associations across the country, is urging Congress to approve the U.S.- Mexico-Canada Agreement as soon as possible.

The letter calls for amending the deal to reflect “the balance achieved in the bipartisan May 10, 2007, agreement.”

The United Kingdom should not expect to be rewarded with a bilateral trade agreement with the U.S. if the country exits the European Union without a deal, House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) said on Wednesday.

Despite USMCA, they say, U.S. producers “remain concerned that access to Canada’s market will continue to be inhibited based on Canada’s requirement that strictly limits the varieties of wheat that can be included in its premium classes.”

Asked if House Sepaker Pelosi’s public calls to re-open the agreement were sparked by pressure from first-term Democrats – and would give her cover to say she tried if she failed – Grassley responded, “Yes to both questions.”

The administration “can make some changes” to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement to win Democratic votes, President Trump said on Wednesday, while House Ways & Means trade subcommittee chairman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) said his caucus was “open” to negotiating how those adjustments could be made.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will meet on Tuesday with a House working group tasked to work with the administration on Democratic concerns with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, sources tell Inside U.S. Trade.

A vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement ahead of Capitol Hill’s August recess is “not going to happen,” House Ways & Means trade subcommittee Chairman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) said on Thursday.