Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday the House of Representatives is no closer to a vote on President Trump’s U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and wouldn’t be until the deal is renegotiated to include strong enforcement provisions.
“We’re as far away as getting an enforcement agreement,” Pelosi said at a forum hosted by the Washington Post. Told the White House opposes reopening the deal for further negotiations, the California Democrat replied, “Well, they have to.”
Pelosi’s comments indicate that Mexico’s passage of a package of labor law reforms late last month, a move intended to placate Democrat’s concerns and speed the USMCA along to passage, has failed to win over Democrats.
“Unless you have enforcement built in … it is not binding on the other country. We’re just talking to ourselves,” the speaker said, adding that she wanted to see stronger terms regarding wages in Mexico, environmental protections, and preventing pharmaceutical prices from rising.
Pelosi was reiterating a stance she has held for several weeks. Proponents of the deal expressed optimism that other Democrats may get the speaker to change her mind. “I may be looking at the doughnut rather than the hole here, being a little more optimistic. But let’s face it, it’s a better agreement in every respect for Democrats in Congress,” Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told CNBC.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., told reporters Wednesday that Pelosi was unlikely to shift. “I’ve seen no evidence that she’s less determined,” he said.
A White House spokesperson declined to comment. Mexico and Canada have also opposed any reopening of the deal, saying that would lead to the unraveling of the agreement.
“I think the climate is fairly poor right now,” said a Senate Republican staffer who requested anonymity.
The speaker noted that she had been in regular contact with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, the White House’s point man on the issue. She praised Lighthizer lavishly, saying she believed he was fighting for workers’ interests and claimed, “I want to get to yes,” on voting for a deal. But she gave no indication that she would schedule a vote anytime soon.
Business groups renewed their lobbying push on Monday. Pass USMCA, a coalition group including Dow Chemicals, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, among others sent lawmakers a letter urging its ratification.
“Canada and Mexico are America’s two largest export markets. More than one-third of America’s exports go to these two markets – and trade with these nations supports 12 million U.S. jobs. These figures will grow if USMCA is ratified,” the coalition claimed.
