Number Two Senate Republican Doubtful About Passage of USMCA/NAFTA 2.0 Deal

[Swordsmyth]

Following last-minute approval of the new NAFTA “free-trade” deal — the USMCA — that now includes Canada, the number two Senate Republican John Cornyn from Texas expressed doubts (https://business.financialpost.com/news/economy/u-s-senate-approval-of-new-nafta-not-a-foregone-conclusion-republican-says) it could pass Senate muster. Cornyn told reporters: “I know people are still going through the details but it’s not a foregone conclusion that it will get confirmation by the Senate.” He said the earliest the Senate could vote on the NSMCA would most certainly be after the November 6 midterm elections.

There are political considerations, however, in trying to pass the trade deal after the midterms but before the Congress is sworn in in January 2019, during the Senate’s “lame duck” session. Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden said that, given the current political climate in Washington following the harrowing Senate confirmation hearings over the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh, “The last thing that is needed right now, at a time of great pubic frustration with what’s going on with Washington, is ramming this through.”

More at: https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/north-america/item/30249-no-2-senate-republican-doubtful-about-passage-of-usmca-nafta-2-0-deal

[Swordsmyth]

Urge your representatives to Get US Out! of NAFTA & USMCA (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?527128-Urge-your-representatives-to-Get-US-Out!-of-NAFTA-amp-USMCA)

[Swordsmyth]

The U.S. Senate’s top Republican said on Tuesday that senators will not vote to approve a revised North American trade pact in 2018, leaving the issue to the next Congress.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg Television that the Senate will not have time to take up the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal before 2019.
“That will be a next-year issue because the process we have to go through doesn’t allow that to come up before the end of this year,” McConnell said.
Last week, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, John Cornyn, had said it was “unlikely” the Senate would be able to vote in the final weeks of 2018. Some industry leaders had held out slim hope that a deal could still be approved this year.
The new trade deal is set to be signed on Nov. 30, but to comply with fast-track U.S. trade rules, Congress must get a report from the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) on the economic impacts of the trade deal.
On Friday, the ITC said it had launched an investigation into the impacts of the deal and will hold a Nov. 15 hearing on the agreement. The commission said it would accept written comments through Dec. 20.
Typically, Congress would hold hearings before approving a major trade agreement.

More at: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-trade-nafta-congress/senate-will-not-vote-on-new-north-america-trade-pact-in-2018-mcconnell-idUSKCN1MQ283

[Swordsmyth]

3,000 Hondurans Make New Run For US Border; Trump Threatens To Cut Aid If Not Stopped (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?527482-3-000-Hondurans-Make-New-Run-For-US-Border-Trump-Threatens-To-Cut-Aid-If-Not-Stopped/page4)




The caravan risks a wider confrontation with Washington if Trump threatens to cut off aid to Mexico, as he has threatened Central America, or attempts to seal the border with the U.S. military. Every day, billions of dollars of trade crosses the U.S.-Mexico border, and any attempt to block those flows could inflict serious economic harm on Mexico. The newly renegotiated North American trade agreement is also hanging in the balance as it has yet to be ratified by legislatures.

More at: https://www.thehour.com/news/article/Migrant-caravan-could-prompt-a-wider-13327884.php

[Swordsmyth]

Mexico’s decision to seek UN assistance came following a barrage of tweets from Trump over the past two days in which he railed against Democrats in Congress and the governments of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala, threatening to cut off U.S. aid to the Central American countries and close the southern border.

“The assault on our country at our Southern Border, including the Criminal elements and DRUGS pouring in, is far more important to me, as President, than Trade or the USMCA. Hopefully Mexico will stop this onslaught at their Northern Border. All Democrats fault for weak laws!” he wrote in one of his tweets.

More at: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/...ts/1690833002/ (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2018/10/18/u-s-supports-mexico-un-plan-caravan-honduran-migrants/1690833002/)

[Swordsmyth]

The Mexican Peso and Canadian loonie are tumbling after New Jersey Democrat, Rep. Bill Pascrell - who’s in line to chair the House Ways and Means Trade subcommittee - said the USMCA trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada is dead unless President Trump renegotiates it.

“If he wants a Democratic votes they need to be not only changes in the legislation but more enforcement,” Pascrell says.




Pascrell added that "there will not be a quick solution" to USMCA issues.

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-14/peso-loonie-tumble-after-dems-demand-changes-nafta-20

[goldenequity]

G20

Guy Elster‏
BREAKING Trump, Trudeau, and Mexico President sign revised trade pact instead of NAFTA, but Trump still needs the Congress to confirm it

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DtQHJ1iWkAMoEQu.jpg:small

[PAF]

It is not Free trade, it is fair trade (huge difference), but here is the text:

https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-trade-agreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement/agreement-between


Article:

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/30/672150010/usmca-trump-signs-new-trade-agreement-with-mexico-and-canada

[Zippyjuan]

Basically the same old treaty which was the "worst treaty ever". Changes are the US can sell more milk to Canada (there are still limits on dairy). Mexico must pay its auto workers $15 an hour and the percent of North American parts in automobiles to qualify for the lower tariff is now higher.

Ooh yeah, they changed the name so at least it doesn't sound like the same old treaty. USMC Agreement. And the tariff put in place allegedly to get the deal have not been removed.

https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2018/10/02/5-things-to-know-about-usmca-the-new-nafta/


Overall, the changes from the old NAFTA are mostly cosmetic. After a year and a half of negotiations, the three parties are going to end up with a new trade deal that looks remarkably similar to the old NAFTA. The main structure of the deal is largely intact; the biggest changes include higher rules-of-origin requirements for the auto sector, marginally greater U.S. access to the Canadian dairy market, and a scale-back of the investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) rules. Thus we shouldn’t expect to see any dramatic economic effects from this deal—though if it convinces businesses’ that U.S. withdrawal from NAFTA is no longer on the table, resolving this uncertainty may lead to a small increase in investment.

The most revealing change might be the agreement’s new name. The United States Trade Representative press release announcing the new deal referred to it as USMCA, an acronym for U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. This is, obviously, a terrible, unpronounceable name—but the shift itself is telling. It hints at the true underlying motivation for this renegotiation—Trump’s desire to overhaul the sullied “NAFTA” brand. On the campaign trail, Trump had denounced NAFTA as the worst trade deal ever; the administration seems to hope a new name will help sell these minor revisions as a substantial improvement. Yet, even if one accepts the idea of renaming the deal, there were some better branding options available to the negotiators: either MUSCA or CAMUS, for instance, would be far more pronounceable than the mouthful “USMCA.” Of course, neither of these alternatives would literally put “America First” the way USMCA does—perhaps explaining why they were passed over.

It does still need to be approved by the three participating governments. Tomorrow is Mexico's president's last day in office.

[enhanced_deficit]

Urge your representatives to Get US Out! of NAFTA & USMCA (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?527128-Urge-your-representatives-to-Get-US-Out!-of-NAFTA-amp-USMCA)



Any urging for President's senior advisors?

Mexico's Highest award for Trump son-in-law for help in renegotiating NAFTA (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?528775-Mexico-s-Highest-award-for-Trump-son-in-law-Senator-blames-Trump-policies-for-GM-plants-shut&)

Tue November 27, 2018
(CNN)Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto will bestow Mexico's highest honor for foreigners on Jared Kushner on Friday in Buenos Aires, a source familiar with the matter tells CNN.
The Order of the Aztec is Mexico's highest honor for foreigners and Kushner will receive it for his role in coordinating US-Mexico relations since President Donald Trump came into office, in particular his role in helping to renegotiate the NAFTA free trade agreement.


https://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/97fee2f03ad98b1a62f5cf35444816789cf95bd3/c=310-0-5259-3712/local/-/media/2018/11/30/DetroitNews/B99725479Z.1_20181130105237_000_GE229H97E.2-0.jpg?width=534&height=401&fit=crop
The Order of the Aztec Eagle, issued by Mexico to foreigners who make a significant contribution to the country
November 30, 2018

[Swordsmyth]

Urge your representatives to Get US Out! of NAFTA & USMCA (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?527128-Urge-your-representatives-to-Get-US-Out!-of-NAFTA-amp-USMCA)



U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will give formal notice to the U.S. Congress in the near future to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), giving six months for lawmakers to approve a new trade deal signed on Friday."I will be formally terminating NAFTA shortly," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way home from Argentina.
"Just so you understand, when I do that - if for any reason we're unable to make a deal because of Congress then Congress will have a choice" of the new deal or returning to trade rules from before 1994 when NAFTA took effect, he said.
Trump said the trade rules before NAFTA "work very well."

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-notify-congress-near-future-terminate-nafta-034002606--finance.html

[Zippyjuan]

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday he will give formal notice to the U.S. Congress in the near future to terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), giving six months for lawmakers to approve a new trade deal signed on Friday."I will be formally terminating NAFTA shortly," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on his way home from Argentina.
"Just so you understand, when I do that - if for any reason we're unable to make a deal because of Congress then Congress will have a choice" of the new deal or returning to trade rules from before 1994 when NAFTA took effect, he said.
Trump said the trade rules before NAFTA "work very well."

More at: https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-notify-congress-near-future-terminate-nafta-034002606--finance.html

That may not quite be so simple. He can notify Congress, but since they passed a law ratifying it, they may also need to change that law before the ratification can be revoked. Also notifying of the intent to withdraw is not an actual withdrawl nor does it say you must withdraw at that point.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/trump-nafta-withdrawal-order/524463/


The equivalent text in the North American Free Trade Agreement, on the other hand, is less dramatic.

Article 2205: Withdrawal


A Party may withdraw from this Agreement six months after it provides written notice of withdrawal to the other Parties. If a Party withdraws, the Agreement shall remain in force for the remaining Parties.

Under Article 50, the EU treaties “shall cease to apply” once the two-year transition period ends. Under Article 2205, however, a participating country “may withdraw” from the agreement once the six-month period ends. That’s no small difference: The first phrasing sets forth that a country must withdraw, while the second one indicates that a country can withdraw.

Jon Johnson, an adviser to the Canadian government during the original NAFTA negotiations, described this crucial phrasing earlier this year as a potential barrier for Trump’s unilateral action. “Under the plain wording of NAFTA Article 2205, providing the written notice is simply a condition that a party has to fulfill before it proceeds to withdraw from NAFTA,” he wrote. “Providing the notice does not have the effect of causing a party to withdraw from NAFTA.”

What’s more, Trump might not have the lawful authority to yank the United States out of the agreement—it’s a matter of debate. Many experts believe that, under Section 125 of the Trade Act of 1974, the president possesses the authority to unilaterally withdraw from trade agreements, including NAFTA. But it’s somewhat uncharted legal territory, and not all agree. Since Congress enacted NAFTA’s provisions by passing a federal law called the Implementation Act, Johnson argues, which doesn’t grant the president the power to withdraw from NAFTA unilaterally, he can’t act on his own. “Since NAFTA was approved by Congress under the authority expressly granted to Congress under the Commerce Clause, it follows that only Congress has the power to reverse that approval and cause the United States to withdraw from NAFTA,” he concludes.

[Swordsmyth]

That may not quite be so simple. He can notify Congress, but since they passed a law ratifying it, they may also need to change that law before the ratification can be revoked.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2017/04/trump-nafta-withdrawal-order/524463/
If he notifies the other countries that we are pulling out and they stop abiding by it will Congress have any choice?

[Zippyjuan]

If he notifies the other countries that we are pulling out and they stop abiding by it will Congress have any choice?

They could tie it up for possibly years with lawsuits.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/10/17/can-congress-block-trump-if-he-pulls-out-of-nafta/


Joel Trachtman, a professor of international law at Tufts University, argues that Trump cannot terminate U.S. participation in a foreign trade agreement without the consent of Congress. He cites the 1994 Supreme Court case Barclays v. California, which held that “the Constitution expressly grants Congress, not the President, the power to ‘regulate Commerce with foreign Nations.’”

“The president doesn’t have power to unilaterally withdraw the United States from trade agreements, including NAFTA,” Trachtman told Foreign Policy. “He could do it with congressional authorization, but there is no congressional authorization that currently exists.”

Jon Johnson, who advised the Canadian government on NAFTA negotiations in the 1990s, agrees. “Since NAFTA was approved by Congress under the authority expressly granted to Congress under the Commerce Clause, it follows that only Congress has the power to reverse that approval and cause the United States to withdraw from NAFTA,” he wrote in a January report.


A May 2017 report from the Congressional Research Service notes that the president clearly has the authority to end U.S. participation in international agreements, and NAFTA allows member countries to withdraw if they give six months’ notice to the other members. But, the report notes, “Despite the President’s ability to withdraw from the agreement, the repeal of statutory provisions implementing NAFTA would likely require congressional assent.”

Those statutory provisions refer to the NAFTA Implementation Act, the piece of legislation that actually put NAFTA provisions into force by ending tariffs and taking other measures. The president has no power to unilaterally undo a congressional statute; that would require an act of Congress. Under that reading, even if Trump were able to technically withdraw from NAFTA, the agreement’s trade provisions would largely remain in force.

[Swordsmyth]

They could tie it up for possibly years with lawsuits.

https://foreignpolicy.com/2017/10/17/can-congress-block-trump-if-he-pulls-out-of-nafta/
But if the agreement they signed off on gives him the authority then he has it.

And if the other two countries stop abiding by it they won't have much choice.

[Zippyjuan]

But if the agreement they signed of on gives him th authority then he has it.

And if the other two countries stop abiding by it they won't have much choice.

"A party" may give notice it intends to withdraw from the treaty. The President is not a participant (party)- the country is. And the agreement had no force if only he signed it- it required Congress to agree. It will take Congress to agree to undo it as well- based on their Constitutional powers "to regulate foreign commerce" (Article One, section 8).

[Swordsmyth]

"The participants". The President is not a participant- the country is. And the agreement had no force if only he signed it- it required Congress to agree. It will take Congress to agree to undo it as well- based on their Constitutional powers "to regulate foreign commerce".
Congress has no power to implement international agreements that aren't treaties and NAFTA didn't get a 2/3rds vote in the Senate so it was never really valid anyway.

[enhanced_deficit]

Trump, Trudeau, Peña Nieto sign USMCA trade deal as G-20 kicks off (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?527230-Urge-your-representatives-to-Get-US-Out!-of-NAFTA-amp-USMCA&p=6715421&viewfull=1#post6715421)


https://media1.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2018_48/2664536/181130-g20-trump-pena-nieto-trudeau-mn-0835_8a6ff26accf766e9c025585144a297ae.fit-760w.jpg
President Donald Trump, Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, left, and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attend the USMCA signing ceremony before the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires on Friday. Andres Stapf / Reuters
Nov. 30, 2018

[Swordsmyth]

Urge your representatives to Get US Out! of NAFTA & USMCA (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?527128-Urge-your-representatives-to-Get-US-Out!-of-NAFTA-amp-USMCA)


Fortunately, USMCA is not yet a done deal. Senator Pat Toomey (R-Penn.) has informed Trump that the votes to pass USMCA are not yet there, as opposition remains from members of both parties. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), told CNN, “The president needs to talk to Congress on this and we can get back to the table with the Mexicans and the Canadians and do stronger labor standards.”


Another Democrat, Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, asked, “If this deal is so great, why is he already resorting to threats to try and ram this through Congress?”

Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has expressed his own concerns, tweeting that the deal was “unacceptable,” because he contends it would kill the Florida vegetable market.

William F. Jasper, senior editor of The New American, has said that it is unlikely that Trump has actually read the USMCA deal (it's an extremely long document — more than 1,800 pages!), and that he is just going by what his advisors have told him is in the agreement. This means, of course, that the president himself, who ran for president on an "America First" agenda, could have second thoughts about the agreement when he finds out more about what is actually in it.

Americans who value their nation’s independence need to address this issue with their members of the House and Senate, right now. And, while they are at it, members of Congress should be asked just why such a far-reaching agreement is not a treaty. Under the Constitution, a treaty must be approved by not just a majority of the Senate, but by two-thirds of the Senate, before it can be considered law in the United States. And, any treaty must be in accordance with the Constitution itself, before it is legally binding.

More at: https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/north-america/item/30837-trump-s-threat-to-leave-nafta-is-designed-to-force-through-usmca-but-why-not-scuttle-both

[Swordsmyth]

US President Donald Trump on Saturday lashed out at Mexico for staying idle while a third caravan of Central American migrants is approaching the southern US border.“Mexico is doing NOTHING to stop the Caravan which is now fully formed and heading to the United States,” Trump tweeted.

Mexico is doing NOTHING to stop the Caravan which is now fully formed and heading to the United States. We stopped the last two – many are still in Mexico but can’t get through our Wall, but it takes a lot of Border Agents if there is no Wall. Not easy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 19, 2019 (https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1086626739835625474?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

The caravan reportedly began arriving at the Mexican border with Guatemala on Friday. Fox News said around a 1,000 marched through the border gates after they were left open.
Trump has repeatedly slammed Mexico for ignoring big crowds that have been trekking north to start a new life in the United States, warning there were criminals mixed in.

“We stopped the last two — many are still in Mexico but can’t get through our Wall, but it takes a lot of Border Agents if there is no Wall. Not easy!” the president stressed.

More at: https://www.infowars.com/trump-mexico-doing-nothing-to-stop-new-migrant-caravan/

[Swordsmyth]

Kevin Brady, a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives’ Ways and Means Committee, has said the U.S. Congress will not consider approving the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) until it receives assurances that import tariffs on steel and aluminum will be lifted, Inside U.S. Trade reported Jan. 29. Imports of steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico remain subject to U.S. tariffs under Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situation-report/us-congress-will-not-approve-usmca-until-tariffs-steel-aluminum-are-lifted

[Swordsmyth]

Ottawa may delay the ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) until Washington decides to lift tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, according to Transport Minister Marc Garneau, the CBC reported Feb. 21.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has received domestic criticism for failing to convince the United States to lift steel and aluminum tariffs as part of the trade negotiations. As Canada gears up for elections in October, Ottawa may take an increasingly assertive stance on lifting the tariffs, which could further complicate the agreement's ratification.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situation-report/canada-government-may-delay-usmca-ratification-until-us-lifts-tariffs-steel

[Swordsmyth]

Mexico's proposed labor reform, which is required for the ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), falls short of demands Washington made during trade negotiations, Inside U.S. Trade reported March 25.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situation-report/mexico-diluted-labor-reform-bill-may-threaten-usmca-ratification

[Swordsmyth]

Chief executives from American steel producers urged lawmakers to maintain strong U.S. tariffs on the metal on Wednesday to protect their industry, as Senate efforts to rein in President Donald Trump's tariff powers gained steam.The CEOs of top U.S. steelmakers Nucor Corp, United States Steel Corp, ArcelorMittal SA and Commercial Metals Co told the Congressional Steel Caucus that the "Section 232" steel tariffs were just starting to allow their industry to recover from damage caused by years of dumped imports and needed to be kept in place long-term.


Little has been done to reduce excess steel production capacity in China that U.S. producers blame for most of the industry's woes, and without the tariffs, unfairly traded imports would flood back into the U.S. market, the executives said.
"Now is not the time to blink," U.S. Steel CEO David Burritt told the lawmakers at a hearing on Wednesday. "Section 232 must continue to be applied to all countries, especially the largest import sources, whether that's a tariff or a hard quota. Even our best allies can be conduits for foreign steel from China or elsewhere."
Canada and Mexico are trying to negotiate a plan to lift U.S. metals tariffs from their products. The Trump administration is demanding quotas to limit import volumes in lieu of tariffs, but Canada and Mexico are resisting.
Earlier this week, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer made little headway in a meeting to resolve the issue, a Canadian official told Reuters.
"There was not a meeting of the minds," the official said. "That of course is an opportunity for the minister to reflect and think about what our next steps are."


Several Republican U.S. senators are combining forces on legislation to limit Trump's ability to impose tariffs under Section 232 of the Cold War-era Trade Expansion Act of 1962.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, who represents the farming state of Iowa, on Tuesday said he would lead the effort aimed at restoring Congress' constitutional authority over trade matters. His plan calls for Section 232 tariffs to be limited to a defined period of time unless extended by Congress.
United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard told the steel caucus lawmakers that Canada should be exempted from the Section 232 tariffs because of the high level of cross-border integration and common ownership in the industry. His union represents about 9,000 Canadian steel workers and 50,000 at U.S. mills.
But Representative Mike Bost, a Republican whose district saw U.S. Steel restart two blast furnaces and rehire 800 workers at its Granite City, Illinois mill last year, made clear that he was focused on rebuilding steelmaking capacity in the United States, not Canada.
"I want to let you know that the focus of this committee should be our U.S. workers," Bost said.
The steel executives also called on the lawmakers to boost U.S. demand for steel by passing a significant infrastructure investment package this year.

"Please let this year be the time to stop talking and start investing," said ArcelorMittal USA President John Brett.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/dont-blink-tr...--finance.html (https://news.yahoo.com/dont-blink-trump-tariffs-steel-ceos-tell-u-230025741--finance.html)

[Swordsmyth]

U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the House of Representatives would not consider approving the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) until Mexico adopts and implements a labor reform that the three countries agreed upon during USMCA negotiations, Politico reported April 2. Pelosi is also pushing for the inclusion of environmental protections and enforcement of agreements on pharmaceuticals in the deal.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situation-report/us-house-wont-consider-usmca-vote-until-mexico-implements-labor-reform-pelosi-says

[Swordsmyth]

Following a suggestion by Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that changes to the USMCA needed to be made in the actual text of the agreement before Democrats would pass the USMCA, both Mexican and Canadian officials have rejected reopening renegotiations.

“We’re saying that enforcement has to be in the treaty, not in the implementing legislation,” Pelosi recently told Politico Playbook during an interview on Tuesday. Early on, high-ranking Democrats had sounded as if they would accept the USMCA if they could tweak the legislation to implement the USMCA — in an effort to assure that Democrat goals would be met.
On Thursday, Jesús Seade Kuri, the Undersecretary for North America for Mexico’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shot down Pelosi’s request. “Reopening it is as good as killing it,” Seade Kuri said. Likewise, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland also ruled out the possibility of reopening negotiations, comparing the suggestion to opening “Pandora’s box.”
“When it comes to the issue of actually opening up the agreement, that's where Canada's view is, we've done our deal,” Freeland told reporters on Thursday. “This was a very intense negotiation. A lot of time, a lot of effort went into it, compromises were made on all sides, and we believe that people need to be very careful around opening up what could really be a Pandora's box.”


More at: https://www.thenewamerican.com/world-news/north-america/item/31940-mexico-and-canada-no-to-reopening-usmca

[Swordsmyth]

Members of the Democratic Party in the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee have expressed skepticism that the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will significantly improve labor standards in Mexico, according to an April 11 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, Inside U.S. Trade reported.

The Ways and Means Committee's letter could pose a serious challenge to the USMCA's ratification as the agreement requires the panel's approval.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situation-report/us-house-committee-democrats-dispute-usmca-effects-mexican-labor-standards

[Swordsmyth]

Mexico’s Senate this week approved a sweeping package that focuses on labor law enforcement in the country.

The move follows the successful negotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which includes unprecedented labor and environmental provisions and is designed to replace NAFTA.
But many Democrats on Capitol Hill argue the USMCA doesn’t provide for enforcement of the agreed-to labor standards.
“Clearly the vote [the Mexican Senate] took, the fact they did that is good for workers in Mexico, but we still have to have stronger enforcement,” said Rep. Mark Pocan (https://thehill.com/people/mark-pocan) (D-Wis.), co-chairman of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
“This has been a problem in past agreements. When you don’t have the enforcement language in the same language as the trade agreement, it makes it less likely to be enforced,” said Pocan.
He added it “should be an easy lift” to add enforcement language before the USMCA is taken up by the House.
But there’s no guarantee the agreement will make it to the House floor. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (https://thehill.com/people/nancy-pelosi) (D-Calif.) said at a press conference Thursday that while she wants to add pharmaceutical and environmental provisions to the trade deal, “the overarching issue is enforcement.
“You can have all the good language in the world that you want, but if you don’t have enforcement, you’re just having a conversation. You’re not having a real negotiation,” she said.
Adding new language would mean reopening negotiations, something Mexico and the Trump administration are reluctant to do. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney (https://thehill.com/people/mick-mulvaney) recently rejected Pelosi’s demand (https://thehill.com/policy/finance/trade/441389-mulvaney-rejects-democratic-calls-to-renegotiate-updated-nafta) to renegotiate the USMCA.


More at: https://thehill.com/policy/finance/trade/442090-mexico-trade-official-hits-dems-for-opposition-to-new-nafta

[Swordsmyth]

US imposes tariffs on Mexican tomatoes (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?534266-US-imposes-tariffs-on-Mexican-tomatoes)

[Swordsmyth]

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does not understand the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal and had told the U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, she wanted two weeks to get to know the agreement."Pelosi does not understand the bill, she doesn't understand it ... so she's got to get up to snuff, learn the bill," Trump said at a White House event.
"She's a mess. Look, let's face it, she doesn't understand it," Trump said.
Pelosi, responding to Trump's remarks, tweeted: "When the 'extremely stable genius' starts acting more presidential, I’ll be happy to work with him on infrastructure, trade and other issues."
Pelosi was invoking a comment made by Trump earlier on Thursday, when he called himself "an extremely stable genius" as the two engaged in a heated war of words.
Republicans in Congress are pushing for ratification of the USMCA, which would replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, before lawmakers leave Washington for their August recess. As the House of Representatives speaker, Pelosi, a Democrat, controls when any initial vote could take place.
Text of the agreement has been published since October 2018, but some Democratic lawmakers have demanded stronger enforcement provisions for USMCA's new labor and environmental standards and it is unclear whether this can be achieved through the USMCA's implementing legislation.

A two-week study period would eat up a dwindling number of legislative days before Congress starts its break on Aug. 3. "I think that's a long time," said Trump, who has been feuding with Democrats over the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/trump-says-house-speaker-pelosi-wants-two-weeks-202149202--finance.html

[Danke]

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi does not understand the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal and had told the U.S. trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, she wanted two weeks to get to know the agreement."Pelosi does not understand the bill, she doesn't understand it ... so she's got to get up to snuff, learn the bill," Trump said at a White House event.
"She's a mess. Look, let's face it, she doesn't understand it," Trump said.
Pelosi, responding to Trump's remarks, tweeted: "When the 'extremely stable genius' starts acting more presidential, I’ll be happy to work with him on infrastructure, trade and other issues."
Pelosi was invoking a comment made by Trump earlier on Thursday, when he called himself "an extremely stable genius" as the two engaged in a heated war of words.
Republicans in Congress are pushing for ratification of the USMCA, which would replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, before lawmakers leave Washington for their August recess. As the House of Representatives speaker, Pelosi, a Democrat, controls when any initial vote could take place.
Text of the agreement has been published since October 2018, but some Democratic lawmakers have demanded stronger enforcement provisions for USMCA's new labor and environmental standards and it is unclear whether this can be achieved through the USMCA's implementing legislation.

A two-week study period would eat up a dwindling number of legislative days before Congress starts its break on Aug. 3. "I think that's a long time," said Trump, who has been feuding with Democrats over the probe into Russian meddling in the 2016 election.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/trump-says-house-speaker-pelosi-wants-two-weeks-202149202--finance.html

https://www.infowars.com/watch/?video=5ce8626ef369df0012eb7531

more: President Trump Says Nancy Pelosi Is Disintegrating Before Our Eyes (https://www.infowars.com/watch/?video=5ce84565d823b00017cd1d37)

[Swordsmyth]

https://www.infowars.com/watch/?video=5ce8626ef369df0012eb7531

more: President Trump Says Nancy Pelosi Is Disintegrating Before Our Eyes (https://www.infowars.com/watch/?video=5ce84565d823b00017cd1d37)

Nadler Passes Out During De Blasio Presser (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?534917-Nadler-Passes-Out-During-De-Blasio-Presser) Started by Swordsmyth (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/member.php?65299-Swordsmyth), Yesterday



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Saksk5bzLZM

[Swordsmyth]

Trump Unleashes Tariffs On Mexico "Until Illegal Immigration Stops" (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?535119-Trump-Unleashes-Tariffs-On-Mexico-quot-Until-Illegal-Immigration-Stops-quot)

[Swordsmyth]

Vice President Mike Pence may have assured Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the Trump administration was "absolutely committed" to passing USMCA this summer, but that was before Robert Lighthizer infuriated Democrats by starting the clock on bringing legislation to ratify the treaty before Congress - and also before President Trump revealed his plans to impose tariffs on Mexican imports.

The chances of USMCA passing were already looking tenuous, as Democrats have appeared reluctant to work with President Trump to facilitate what would be his biggest trade triumph to date. But now that Trump has angered Mexico and Democrats with the new tariffs, chances of USMCA passing have fallen from 'low' to 'nearly zero', according to a team of analysts at Goldman Sachs.

In a note to clients published on Friday, Goldman explained that it believes Trump will move ahead with 5% tariffs on Mexican imports on June 10 - at least that's the bank's base case, even as its analysts concede that Trump never followed through on threats to close the southern border.
And, assuming the tariffs do take effect, Democrats in the House will likely slow consideration of USMCA - likely missing the 90-day window for consideration triggered by Lighthizer on Thursday - and greatly increasing the chances that the deal won't be ratified until after the 2020 election

More at: https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-31/latest-trump-tariffs-mean-nafta-20-wont-be-ratified-until-after-2020-goldman-says

[Swordsmyth]

The top Mexican official leading negotiations with the U.S. over President Donald Trump’s newly announced tariffs previously compared Trump to Hitler and described him as an “enemy” of Mexico.

Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard arrived at the Mexican embassy on Saturday and is scheduled to meet with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Wednesday, Ebrard announced on Twitter.
Ebrard, a former Mexico City mayor who has served as foreign secretary since December 2018, has been open in his disdain for Trump in the past.

“He, like Hitler, is a good communicator,” Ebrard told The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/how-a-rising-political-star-in-mexico-ended-up-campaigning-for-clinton) in 2016, referring to Trump.

The New Yorker’s article profiled Ebrard’s get-out-the-vote efforts for then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
“It was after hearing Donald Trump speak that I decided to get much more involved, beyond just giving opinions,” Ebrard told the magazine. “The risk represented by el Señor Trump, the things that he says, in particular about Mexico, but in general, too, are like nothing else I’ve encountered.”
Roughly a week before the 2016 election, Ebrard called Trump the greatest “enemy” that Mexico has faced in “many years.”

Trump es el peor enemigo que México haya enfrentado en muchos años. Debemos esforzarnos para frenarlo con votos en E.U.A.
— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) October 31, 2016 (https://twitter.com/m_ebrard/status/793237330542800896?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)



Cada voto cuenta, apoyemos a Hillary Clinton. Derrotemos la xenofobia anti mexicana de Trump pic.twitter.com/Qpb314m3Qq (https://t.co/Qpb314m3Qq)
— Marcelo Ebrard C. (@m_ebrard) October 29, 2016 (https://twitter.com/m_ebrard/status/792227774672932864?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)

Now, Ebrard is in the position of leading negotiations with the Trump administration over the tariffs Trump slapped on his country.

More at: https://www.infowars.com/mexican-official-leading-tariff-negotiations-compared-trump-to-hitler-called-him-mexicos-enemy/

[Swordsmyth]

Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s decision on when (and whether) the deal will get a vote depends on talks with the Trump administration to address Democrats’ concerns, according to a senior Democratic aide.“We’re not ready,’’ Representative Debbie Dingell, a Michigan Democrat, said Sunday on Fox News. “The votes in the House are not there yet until these changes take place.’’

During last week’s uncertainty over trade with Mexico, most Democrats publicly separated USMCA deliberations from Trump’s tariff plan, which means that removing the tariff threat doesn’t necessarily clear the way for a new deal to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. Dingell said she wants changes to the agreement’s labor, environmental and enforcement provisions that would satisfy her skeptical colleagues.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/democrats-hold-usmca-trump-walks-133507650.html

[Swordsmyth]

Mexican labor unions have requested injunctions in Mexican federal court against labor reform tied to the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), El Economista reported June 23. The labor unions, all organized under the umbrella of the Mexican Laborers' Confederation (CTM), argue the labor reform's stipulation that each labor organization adopt direct, secret votes for the election of new leaders harms them.

A lower court ruling temporarily suspending the unions' obligations under the labor reform would send the message that Mexico isn't serious about implementing the requirements of USMCA. In Mexico, such a ruling could cause a snowball effect, in which unions enter a de facto state of noncompliance with USMCA's labor reform. If USMCA were still pending in the United States and a Mexican injunction were awarded to a CTM-sponsored union, House Democrats might see this as a sign that labor rights in Mexico won't significantly improve — making the issue yet another sticking point for USMCA.

More at: https://worldview.stratfor.com/situation-report/mexico-unions-ask-injunctions-labor-reform-required-usmca

[Swordsmyth]

It is both fortunate and unfortunate that House Democrats tend to oppose the deal as presently constituted. This is fortunate as without the votes from a significant number of Democrats, the deal cannot be passed, but it is unfortunate because the changes sought by the Democrats are generally not good.

In other words, if the Trump administration agrees to changes sought by the Democrats, USMCA would be even worse than it is now — and it is bad enough as it is.
The New Democrat Coalition told U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on Monday not to submit USMCA to Congress unless the administration first addresses concerns of the Democrats. The New Democrat Coalition of 103 members told Lighthizer, “We were troubled that you sent up the draft Statement of Administrative Action on May 30 without sufficient consultation, and strongly urge you to not make the same mistake twice.”

More at: https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/congress/item/32814-usmca-trade-deal-moving-closer-to-submission-to-congress

[Swordsmyth]

The Trump administration is expected to submit the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a government-managed trade deal, to Congress sometime after September 1, with hopes for ratification by the end of this year. As is usual in Washington’s contentious political climate, differences between what the White House wants and what the Democrat-run House of Representatives wants could complicate that hope, even killing the deal for now.

The Democrats want any trade deal with Mexico and Canada to reflect their desire to impose more government regulations on businesses and attain provisions favoring their goals in the way of environmentalism (CO2 limits), labor unions (making it easier to force unions on workers), and other issues dear to their “progressive” agenda. The deal already has provisions on these issues — USMCA would place all three countries under the control of the International Labor Organization (ILO) by specifically committing them to the ILO’s Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization.
The problem for the Democrats is that they contend the USMCA does not go far enough in adopting more government control over private business.
Another factor in Democrat reluctance to sign off on USMCA has little to do with what is or is not in the deal right now. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) does not want to give President Trump a major legislative “victory” on the eve of the 2020 presidential election. And Pelosi has used her power as speaker of the house to thwart a Republican president before. In 2007, Pelosi suspended what is known as “fast-track” bargaining authority indefinitely when Republican President George W. Bush had sent a so-called free-trade deal with Colombia to Congress.
“Fast-track” allows a president to negotiate a trade deal and submit it to Congress for an up-and-down vote. This would appear to violate the Constitution’s provision in Article I, Section 8 that gives Congress, not the president, the authority “to regulate commerce with foreign nations.”
Bush’s trade deal was never approved during his tenure. Tim Keeler, then chief of staff for then-U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, recalled the struggle over the Colombia trade deal with CNBC. “At the time, no president had sent an FTA [free trade agreement] under fast track rules where a speaker was opposed, so we didn’t know how Speaker Pelosi would react.”
This history gives some hope to USMCA opponents, as Pelosi was able to stop the deal then. Unfortunately, this history also indicates that Pelosi’s opposition was more to a trade deal of a Republican president, rather than a Democrat president. Five years later, Pelosi supported virtually the same deal when Democrat President Barack Obama renegotiated the deal.
Pelosi showed similar hypocrisy recently when she (rightly) said that any military action against Iran by President Trump would require congressional approval, but a few years ago, she argued that President Obama did not need congressional approval to take military action against Libya.
Still, even if Pelosi’s opposition is of impure motives, champions of American national sovereignty should be thankful, if it kills the deal.
Under the rules of “fast-track,” once the bill is officially sent to Congress to implement USMCA, a “clock” starts ticking. Members of Congress would then have 90 working days after receiving the legislation to hold a vote.
This should alert patriotic Americans concerned about more of our national sovereignty being surrendered and cause them to contact their members of Congress. Republican members will be under tremendous pressure to go along with a president of their political party.

More at: https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/item/32832-usmca-faces-democratic-opposition-in-the-house-despite-hopes-for-ratification-by-year-s-end

[Swordsmyth]

On Thursday June 20, 2019 (https://medium.com/@SpeakerPelosi/madam-speaker-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-the-u-s-speaker-of-the-house-june-17-21-2019-a7212a63ddc2), Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau traveled to Washington DC for a meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and democrat leadership. After the political ideologues held the meeting, Trudeau and Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland tabled the Canadian ratification (https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/05/27/canada-begins-first-steps-toward-usmca-ratification/) on the USMCA trade agreement.

More at: https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/08/16/politics-to-support-wall-street-multinationals-democrats-plan-to-block-trump-trade-reset/

[Swordsmyth]

https://www.ft.com/content/56077fc2-ca73-11e9-a1f4-3669401ba76f

[Swordsmyth]

President Trump raised concerns that Congress may not approve the new North American Free Trade Agreement, now that the House has launched an impeachment inquiry.

“I don’t know if Nancy Pelosi is going to have any time to sign [the USMCA] — that’s the only problem,” said President Trump on Wednesday. He went on to say Pelosi is wasting time with a “manufactured crisis.”

Approving the new deal (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/lawmakers-business-groups-warn-new-tariffs-could-derail-new-nafta-192926720.html) — known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) — before the end of the year has been one of the administration’s top priorities.
“If it happens, it happens. Otherwise, when we take over the House next year we’ll do it our way,” said Trump.


At a press conference Wednesday afternoon, a reporter asked President Trump if he would end NAFTA if USMCA doesn’t make it through Congress.
“I don't want to answer that question, but you know how I feel about NAFTA. I think NAFTA is the worst trade deal ever made,” Trump replied. “We’re gonna find out. That’s going to be a very interesting question.”

More at: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-impeachment-inquiry-could-kill-the-usmca-233627048.html

[revgen]

I'm curious about what "...we'll do it our way..." means.

[Zippyjuan]

Trump has been threatening to end NAFTA if Congress does not approve NAFTA 2.0 (which is basically the same thing). "Soon" (claim was made last year). We will also be out of Syria "soon" (that was March, 2017).

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/12/02/donald-trump-formally-cancel-nafta-make-way-new-deal/2181399002/


President Donald Trump said late Saturday he will formally terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement soon, a move designed to put pressure on Congress to approve a new deal he signed during the G-20 summit.

“I'll be terminating it within a relatively short period of time,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One as he flew back to Washington after a two-day meeting in Argentina with the leaders of other major world economies. “We (will) get rid of NAFTA. It's been a disaster for the United States."

He also threatened to cancel it in 2017.

[Zippyjuan]

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2019/05/03/the-new-nafta-is-in-trouble-and-trumps-chaotic-tariffs-are-partly-to-blame/


The new NAFTA is in trouble, and Trump’s chaotic tariffs are partly to blame

The only certainty about the Trump administration’s trade policy is its uncertainty, and that hurts us all.

From the moment he launched his run for president, Donald Trump derided the North American Free Trade Agreement as the "worst trade deal in the history of the world." He vowed to replace it with a version that would protect American jobs and reduce the trade deficit.

Hyperbole aside, NAFTA needed updating to account for the world that didn’t exist when President Bill Clinton signed the bipartisan agreement into law in 1993. However, Trump’s decision to enact steel and aluminum tariffs against Mexico and Canada to arm-twist his way to a deal has tossed trade policy into uncertain territory. Ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement by the U.S. Congress is unlikely unless Trump does away with the tariffs.

Levying tariffs, the nuclear warhead of protectionism, against close trading partners Mexico and Canada in the name of free trade has disrupted supply chains across the continent and invited retaliatory moves against U.S. products that are hurting companies and consumers. In this tit-for-tat exchange, Texas is particularly vulnerable. Texas imports more than $8 billion annually in steel and aluminum products, the most in the nation, and more than the next two states, California and Illinois, combined, according to a Brookings Institution analysis.



More at link.

[Swordsmyth]

Trump has been threatening to end NAFTA if Congress does not approve NAFTA 2.0 (which is basically the same thing). "Soon" (claim was made last year). We will also be out of Syria "soon" (that was March, 2017).

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/12/02/donald-trump-formally-cancel-nafta-make-way-new-deal/2181399002/



He also threatened to cancel it in 2017.
That's a good thing.

https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2019/05/03/the-new-nafta-is-in-trouble-and-trumps-chaotic-tariffs-are-partly-to-blame/



More at link.
Trump is bringing uncertainty to the parasites and restoring America's economy.

[Zippyjuan]

That's a good thing.

Trump is bringing uncertainty to the parasites and restoring America's economy.

The economy is so amazing we need massive interest rate reductions and new Quantitative Easing from the Fed.

Business and economies hate uncertainty. Business does not invest when they are unsure what the future will be like. That slows economic growth.

[Swordsmyth]

The economy is so amazing we need massive interest rate reductions and new Quantitative Easing from the Fed.
The economy was om life support before he was elected, now there are flickers of life in spite of the attempts of the Fed and others to smother it.


Business and economies hate uncertainty. Business does not invest when they are unsure what the future will be like. That slows economic growth.
The American economy is more certain because of Trump, it is the globalist parasite economy that is feeling the uncertainty.

[Swordsmyth]

The leader of a U.S. congressional delegation to Mexico said on Tuesday that Mexico must take more concrete steps to implement its labor reform, after a trip aimed at speeding up ratification of the new North American free trade deal.Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has vowed union freedoms, higher wages and other labor rights in his bid to assuage the concerns of U.S. congressional Democrats, who hold the key to ratifying the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
But as he concluded his visit to Mexico, Richard E. Neal, who leads the Ways and Means Committee in the United States' lower house of Congress, suggested Democrats were still not satisfied.
"Our meeting with President Lopez Obrador shed further light on the Mexican government's desire and intentions to carry out its labor justice reform, but the United States needs to see those assurances put into action," Neal said in a statement.
It was unclear precisely what steps Neal would like to see.


Mexico's Congress has already approved the deal. It also needs ratification from Canadian lawmakers.
Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard told reporters the next three weeks would be a "decisive phase" for the pact, and that officials would send U.S. lawmakers a document next week detailing the issues discussed on Tuesday, including Mexico's labor reform.

Democrats are seeking better mechanisms in the trade agreement to ensure enforcement of labor and environmental provisions. One measure under consideration is providing aid to Mexico to beef up enforcement of labor rules.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/mexico-president-calls-usmca-ratification-132559399.html

[Swordsmyth]

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer (https://thehill.com/people/robert-bob-lighthizer) faced pushback and a “bucket full” of questions Thursday during a closed-door caucus lunch meeting meant to sell Senate Republicans on the new trade deal with Canada and Mexico.

Republican senators stressed that they expect the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will have the votes to pass the Senate, but acknowledged there was still opposition within the caucus and broader frustration with how the trade negotiations had been handled.
“There’s some opposition to some pieces of it, as you might imagine,” Sen. David Perdue (R-Ga.) told reporters after the lunch.


Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (https://thehill.com/people/mitch-mcconnell) (R-Ky.) has said the Senate will not take up the trade deal until next year after the chamber finishes an expected impeachment trial for President Trump (https://thehill.com/people/donald-trump).
“From my perspective, it’s not as good as I had hoped," McConnell told reporters during a weekly press conference Tuesday.
But GOP senators indicated after the Lighthizer meeting that there are concerns about the process for how the trade deal will move through the Senate.
Sen. John Cornyn (https://thehill.com/people/john-cornyn) (R-Texas), a top adviser to McConnell, said he did not expect the Senate Finance Committee to have a mock markup of the trade deal, which under previous agreements would allow them to suggest changes that could be worked in to a final proposal.
“It’s a bad practice and I don’t think the Senate should just quietly agree to be jammed in the process,” Cornyn said, adding that it was a “lousy way to treat the Senate.”
Sen. Pat Toomey (https://thehill.com/people/patrick-toomey) (R-Pa.) said he had also heard the Senate Finance Committee would not be holding a mock markup of the trade deal.
“We have to have an opportunity to weigh in on that,” Toomey said. “This is a problem.”
Toomey said he raised his concerns with Lighthizer during the lunch and at two separate meetings with Senate Finance Republicans.
When asked if he spoke directly to Lighthizer about his concerns, Toomey said: "I did. In fact, I raised them at the meeting we had before the lunch and I raised them on the phone call the day before that."

More at: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/474344-lighthizer-fails-to-quell-gop-angst-on-trade-deal

[devil21]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Just more evidence that the Trump impeachment stuff is a fake orchestrated distraction while they all shred the last remaining vestiges of American sovereignty right under everyone's noses. Trump supports the USMCA and the TPP has, for the most part, been rolled into the USMCA. But keep on watchin' the WWE impeachment production instead...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIIZy0u4QXU&feature=emb_logo

[Swordsmyth]

Mexico's deputy foreign minister, Jesus Seade, said on Saturday he sent a letter to the top U.S. trade official expressing surprise and concern over a labor enforcement provision proposed by a U.S. congressional committee in the new North American trade deal.Top officials from Canada, Mexico and the United States on Tuesday signed a fresh overhaul of a quarter-century-old deal, aiming to improve enforcement of worker rights and hold down prices for biologic drugs by eliminating a patent provision.
How labor disputes are handled in the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal was one of the last sticking points in the negotiations between the three countries to overhaul the agreement.
Intense negotiations over the past week among U.S. Democrats, the administration of Republican U.S. President Donald Trump, and Mexico produced more stringent rules on labor rights aimed at reducing Mexico's low-wage advantage.
However, an annex for the implementation of the treaty that was presented on Friday in the U.S. House of Representatives proposes the designation of up to five U.S. experts who would monitor compliance with local labor reform in Mexico.
"This provision, the result of political decisions by Congress and the Administration in the United States, was not, for obvious reasons, consulted with Mexico," Seade wrote in the letter. "And, of course, we disagree."


The letter, released on Saturday, is dated Friday and addressed to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Seade said he would travel to Washington on Sunday to raise the issues directly with Lighthizer and lawmakers.
"Unlike the rest of the provisions that are clearly within the internal scope of the United States, the provision referred to does have effects with respect to our country and therefore, should have been consulted," Seade wrote.

More at: https://news.yahoo.com/mexico-objects-labor-enforcement-provision-215243615.html