Democrats Officially Reach USMCA Deal With the White House

House Democrats embraced the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement after securing key revisions and announced plans to vote on the deal next week, putting President Donald Trump closer to a political win as he heads into the 2020 election. #USMCA

Speaker Nancy Pelosi praised the changes her House Democats were able to negotiate, saying the revised deal is better for American workers. She said the new version of the accord, known as the USMCA, will be a model for other trade agreements going forward.

“This is the day we have been waiting for,” Pelosi told reporters. “It is infinitely better than what was initially proposed by the administration.”

Trump welcomed the finalized Nafta overhaul, which has been languishing for more than a year and could resolve some of the uncertainty weighing on the economy as he heads into his re-election campaign. But it is also a win for House Democrats who are eager to prove that they can do more than investigate and impeach Trump.

The timing on Tuesday was extraordinary, with Pelosi flanked by more than 30 of her colleagues announcing the long-awaited trade deal just minutes after chairmen of House committees investigating Trump unveiled the two articles of impeachment they plan to bring against the president. She said the back-to-back announcements were not a coincidence.

“We are at the end of the session and you have to make some decisions,” Pelosi said.

The changes that Democrats demanded on provisions regarding the environment, pharmaceuticals, labor and overall enforcement were the subject of intense negotiations between U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and House Democrats led by Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal.

“Every once in a while you get to participate in a will-it-ever-happen moment,” Neal said Tuesday. ”This is a triumph for workers across America.”

Lighthizer called the agreement “historic” and said the accord “will be the model for American trade deals going forward.”

“After working with Republicans, Democrats, and many other stakeholders for the past two years we have created a deal that will benefit American workers, farmers, and ranchers for years to come,” Lighthizer said in a statement.

Pelosi told her Democratic members earlier Tuesday that expects a vote next week, according to Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Texas. Neal also confirmed that timing.

“We are ready to rock and roll,” Cuellar said after a closed-door meeting of Democratic representatives in Washington. “We’re very confident. We have the numbers” to pass the deal.

Pelosi later told reporters she hopes to vote on the deal, known as the USMCA, “before the end of the session,” which would be before Congress recesses for the holidays Dec. 20.

Representatives from Canada, Mexico and the Trump administration will meet in Mexico City later Tuesday to sign the amendments to the trade agreement. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the new version will be ratified by the legislatures of all three countries.

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