Congress

The deputy foreign minister said the deal would not be re-opened, but told Reuters Mexico and the U.S. were discussing other ways to ensure the U.S. could “initiate a panel against Mexico on labor standards.”

A coalition of companies operating foreign trade zones in the U.S. is calling for legislation amending U.S. law to allow de minimis entry eligibility to apply to goods withdrawn from those zones, arguing that doing so would reduce imports from China and support U.S. jobs.

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.”

House Ways & Means trade subcommittee Chairman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) this week raised the possibility of initiating a Section 301 investigation into Colombian labor practices, while other members of his caucus also called on the administration to take action.

“We do not want to pass this agreement just slightly different from NAFTA with a little sugar on top and say, ‘See, we did something different.’ If it isn't really going to be enforceable, it will just be NAFTA with sugar on top.”

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.

A Commerce Department nominee who helped write a report on the national security implications of auto and auto parts imports is being held up in Congress over concerns about the investigation, which President Trump has said could lead to tariffs, Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL) told Inside U.S. Trade on Tuesday.