House Democrats reach USMCA deal, Senate vows no vote until next year

On the same day it introduced articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump, the Democratic leadership of the US House of Representatives handed the president a campaign promise victory when it reached a deal with the White House on the US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA); however, Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell said there would be no vote on the deal until after the pending impeachment trial.

House Democrats signed off on the agreement after getting key revisions regarding the environment, pharmaceuticals, labor and overall enforcement and plan a vote on the measure next week.

“We will not be doing USMCA next week in the Senate,” McConnell said Tuesday.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told senators earlier on Tuesday that the Trump administration wants a vote by next week, according to Bloomberg News, and White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham later said in a statement: “We expect to push hard on passing the implementing bill before the end of the year.”

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.

USMCA includes priorities of the recreational boating industry, including the free flow of goods across North American boarders and the ability to maintain business models based on the special trading relationship between the three countries.

The initial agreement between the three nations a year ago cleared the way for removal of Section 232 tariffs and the subsequent retaliation that all but eliminate the import/export of boats between the three countries.