Mexico

In a progress report sent to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Friday, the House Democrats' U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement working group said it intended to send detailed text to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer next week, calling on USTR to respond with counteroffers.

New Democrat Coalition members this week encouraged U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to continue working with a group of House lawmakers on U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement issues before moving forward with ratification, hoping they can make progress even during the August congressional recess, Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) told Inside U.S. Trade.

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.

A recent trip to Mexico did little to assuage Democrats' concerns with USMCA’s enforcement language, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) said on Tuesday, as Vice President Mike Pence continued to barnstorm in favor of ratifying the deal this year.

Concerns that a controversial de minimis provision could be included in the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement’s implementing legislation continue to vex House lawmakers from both sides of the aisle who have raised the issue in recent talks with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

Mexican Ambassador to the U.S. Martha Bárcena on Thursday said that a budget to implement labor reform in Mexico will be decided by September -- responding to a key concern flagged by congressional Democrats as they consider whether to support the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

The legislation would require a trade deal to establish a labor secretariat to get fast track treatment.

House Democrats tapped to work with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on outstanding concerns with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement lauded progress after talks on Wednesday, though one lawmaker assigned to address labor issues said tensions were rising over the pace of negotiations.

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.”