USTR

Labor legislation under consideration in the Mexican Congress fails to meet the requirements of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, according to a letter House Democrats Bill Pascrell (NJ) and Rosa DeLauro (CT) plan to send to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer in the coming days.

Ways & Means trade panel ranking member Vern Buchanan said he was “optimistic. We've got a lot of momentum. [Lighthizer] was there to talk about a meeting with Democrats. It seems like there's some momentum there as well.”

The U.S. and Australia have floated a three-tiered system of subsidy caps in World Trade Organization negotiations on fisheries subsidies, according to a proposal made public on Monday.

Products exempted include salad spinners, hand-held water purifiers and tuners for musical instruments.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative expects to host eight negotiating rounds in fiscal year 2020, according to a budget justification document released on Tuesday.

The largest U.S. labor federation is calling for significant changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and warning that if the deal is voted on “prematurely,” it will mobilize opposition forces as it did for prior free trade agreements.

A China deal would address technology transfers, IP, ag, subsidies that lead to excess capacity, non-tariff measures, currency, film quotas, services access and enforcement.

Blocking the appointment or reappointment of members to the World Trade Organization’s Appellate Body is the only way for the U.S. to gain leverage in pushing for reforms, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told the Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday.