USMCA Approval Needed
USMCA Approval Needed
With Congress back in session this month, farm advocates have been on Capitol Hill to urge lawmakers to pass the United States Mexico Canada Agreement.
The USMCA, a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement, is a top priority for the Trump administration, which is negotiating with key lawmakers to get the treaty passed.
Tensions are rising in the House Democratic caucus as a number of members say they feel they are being kept in the dark while nine of their colleagues negotiate changes to the new North American trade pact with the Trump administration.
Members of the working group House Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected to secure changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement say they have begun to make progress in talks with President Donald Trump's trade chief. But because much of the information is privileged, and because both sides signed agreements pledging not to reveal details, there's little they say they can share with Democrats who were not chosen for the nine-member team.
That's begun to frustrate some House Democrats who are outside the process and want to offer input, especially members of the Ways and Means Committee's trade panel. Some members are unsure how they would vote on the deal and, as pressure is mounting for them to hold a vote as soon as possible, they're having a particularly hard time knowing what to say when discussing the USMCA publicly.
