Mexico

A group of 21 House Ways & Means Democrats is questioning how the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will impact Capitol Hill's ability to address rising health care costs, contending the intellectual property changes in the deal will “almost certainly” lead to higher prices for U.S. consumers.

Mexican officials are in Washington, DC, this week to discuss the possibility of replacing Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum with tariff-rate quotas, sources tell Inside U.S. Trade.

Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX) on Wednesday released a side-by-side comparison of Mexico’s new labor reforms to the commitments the country made in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, touting the reforms as compliant with the deal and urging its passage.

Democrats on Capitol Hill are calling the Mexican Senate's passage of a labor reform bill a step in the right direction as they continue to evaluate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, with enforcement still a key concern.

“Exactly what labor leaders in the United States and Mexico have sought for decades.”

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative’s latest review of U.S. trading partners’ intellectual property enforcement is a stark warning to those on its priority watch list, sources contend, pointing to more pointed language in this year's report and a pledge to take action soon.

“The clock is ticking,” he said in Detroit, calling for the deal to be approved by Congress this year.

Former congressional trade committee lawyers this week expressed little optimism that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement would be ratified this year, with many questioning President Trump’s willingness to address Democratic concerns and ensure a vote before August recess.

“I think I can be cautiously optimistic that a solution will be found.”