The Trump administration and House Democrats have a tentative deal on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, according to people familiar with negotiations, paving the way for congressional approval as early as this month even as Democrats prepare to impeach the president.
This story by Bloomberg appeared in Automotive News.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reviewing changes to the agreement that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and his Mexican counterpart Jesus Seade have put on paper over the past week.
The NAFTA revision is one of President Donald Trump’s top priorities, and its passage would help the White House make the case that he’s pursuing policy achievements on behalf of the country even while lawmakers debate removing him from office.
At the same time, a deal would show that Democrats can legislate while also investigating the president’s administration.
Lighthizer and Seade exchanged proposals on labor inspection rules and tougher steel provisions and finished a compromise package late Friday that they submitted to Pelosi, the people said. A demand from the U.S. regarding steel and aluminum, which people briefed on the talks said came from the United Steelworkers union, threatened to stall the negotiations last week.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said earlier Monday that he expects a decision from the U.S. on the agreement very soon.