House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backtracked on her declaration last week that a vote on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement would be possible by the end of the year.
“I’m not even sure if we came to an agreement today, it would be enough time to finish,” by year’s end, the California Democrat told reporters on Thursday about the proposed pacts to update the 1994 law, which established a North American free-trade zone between the three countries.
Recommended Stories
Just a week ago, Pelosi said she’d “like to see us get it done this year” and added “that would be my goal.”
But the timeline appears unlikely.
Legislators leave town this week and won’t return until the week of Dec. 2. The schedule so far calls for Congress to remain in session until the end of December.
Lawmakers in both parties have been eager to clear the trade deal in Congress, but Democrats are unhappy that labor and environmental enforcement provisions are not written into the underlying deal.
Democrats have been working closely with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, who is reluctant to reopen the deal that has already won approval by Canada and Mexico.
“We want to see enforceability, and the trade representative knows that,” Pelosi said.
She added, “I’m eager to get this done.”
[Related: Pro-USMCA Democrat says Pelosi is delaying vote to run up caucus support]
