ITC

The report was originally set to be submitted to USTR by Jan. 24.

The report on the economic impact of the deal was set to be completed by March 15.

The timeline for congressional consideration of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is “more unclear” than ever due to the partial government shutdown and unanswered questions on Mexican labor reforms and Section 232 tariffs, Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) said on Tuesday after speaking with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer last week.

“The determination brings to a successful conclusion investigations that were self-initiated by Commerce in 2017, the first such action by the department in more than 25 years,” the Aluminum Association said.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Foreign Trade Council and other business groups are calling on the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to push for improved market access, eradicate Section 232 restrictions and coordinate approaches to address third-country trade barriers in a bilateral trade pact with Tokyo.

Reps. Sandy Levin (D-MI) and Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) will kick things off on Thursday.

The Commerce Department on Wednesday announced affirmative final determinations against imports of Chinese aluminum sheet, advancing antidumping and countervailing duty investigations that were self-initiated by the agency last November.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce contends that while the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is an improvement over the original NAFTA in some areas, several of its provisions should not be “viewed as precedents” for future trade deals.

Labor provisions in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, while an improvement over the original NAFTA, are unlikely to make a “meaningful difference” for North American workers, the AFL-CIO said this week.