House Democrats are ready to pass a major trade deal between the United States, Canada, and Mexico now that changes have been made, a top Democratic leader said.
“There’s considerable support throughout the Democratic Caucus for this expanded- and improved-upon trade agreement,” Caucus Chairman Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, said. “It’s my expectation that it will pass on the floor of the House of Representatives with significant bipartisan support.”
Some Democrats aren’t sure if they will support the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, which overhauls the Clinton-era North American Free Trade Agreement.
Although the provisions sought by Democrats and added to USMCA were signed by Mexico’s president on Wednesday, rank-and-file lawmakers have not read the text yet to ensure the new provisions are part of the base deal and not merely sidebar provisions that would be harder to enforce.
“These are very positive developments,” Labor, Health and Human Services Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, told the Washington Examiner. “But, I like to look at the text. This is supposed to be part of the underlying agreement, and that is the impression I have with this.”
Not all Democrats are needed to pass the bill because most House Republicans will likely vote for it.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the deal on Tuesday and said Democrats agreed to it because they won the addition of provisions addressing labor, the environment, and prescription drugs.
Jeffries credited Pelosi, a California Democrat, with making the deal possible.
Rep. Katherine Clark, a Massachusetts Democrat, said the changes made to the original USMCA, which include enforcement tools to ensure fair labor practices, will benefit American workers.
“It was what we were looking for,” Clark said. “And we feel that that has been delivered … and we feel very good about being able to protect workers [and] create and keep American jobs with this agreement.”
Democrats are eager to pass the bill quickly, as soon as next week, a Democratic leadership aide told the Washington Examiner.
Congress will not clear the measure this year, however.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, said he would not take it up by next week, when Congress is set to adjourn for the year.
A vote on USMCA will have to wait until the Senate concludes the January trial it will be forced to conduct when the House sends articles impeaching President Trump next week.
McConnell blamed a delay on a trade deal on Democrats devoting so much time to impeachment. He accused Democrats of dragging out negotiations on the USMCA and finally agreeing to a deal under pressure from the GOP and the public.
“Democrats have stalled this agreement for so long that it is now impossible for the USMCA to become law in 2019, especially given all the other urgent things they’ve stalled right alongside it, “ McConnell said Wednesday. “Democrats have simply run out the clock.”
