North American Free Trade Agreement

The House’s “complete focus” on impeachment could leave USMCA behind, the Senate Finance Committee Chairman said.

An addendum to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement outlining accords struck by the Trump administration and a group of House Democrats will close a loophole that allows the blocking of dispute-settlement panels, a senior Mexican official told Inside U.S. Trade, warning that other enforcement approaches could result in the deal’s rejection.

President Trump on Monday said the speaker “should put it up for a vote because, at some point pretty soon, you're going to have Canada and you're going have Mexico say, 'What's going on? Send the agreement back. Let's not make the deal.'”

Mexico’s Chamber of Deputies on Thursday approved a 2020 federal budget that includes additional funding for the implementation of labor reforms required under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

“So I hope Mr. Schiff will clarify how much longer we will waste on this effort and what other vital legislation he’s willing to sacrifice for this impeachment crusade.”

House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) said he will send U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer another set of counterproposals after the two sides narrowed differences over the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in a meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on Thursday.

Mexico’s lower house on Thursday will debate labor funds seen as crucial to USMCA ratification in the U.S.

McConnell called out the AFL-CIO, who he said “have not supported a single major trade deal in living memory.”

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is holding out support for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada-Agreement in hopes of extracting more concessions from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, one House Democrat tasked with negotiating labor provisions with USTR said, while other lawmakers believe the two sides are close to a deal.