Democrats are still holding out hope they can sculpt the new NAFTA to their liking despite the acrimonious debate over whether to impeach Donald Trump and the president’s personal attacks on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
An exchange of insults between Pelosi and Trump after a scuttled White House infrastructure meeting last week, and the ongoing debate among House Democrats whether to impeach the president, have fanned doubts about whether the two sides can cooperate enough to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement -- Trump’s most urgent legislative priority as he heads into 2020 elections.
Democratic lawmakers and their aides say both parties can look past the squabbling to reach a deal that can pass the Democratic-controlled House. Still, they are urging the White House to speed up collaboration and start addressing their concerns to get a vote on the agreement by year-end, which is the goal for Trump’s team.
Pelosi Instructions
The aborted infrastructure meeting was a setback for those in Congress who were hoping for more cooperation on agenda items that matter to both sides, said a senior Democratic aide, who declined to be identified. However, instructions from the speaker to her members haven’t changed, and she’s in no way abandoning the work on USMCA, the aide said.
In a step viewed as positive, the speaker this month created working groups to negotiate with the administration on areas in USMCA they’d like to see changes, including provisions on labor, environment, pharmaceuticals and enforcement. The removal of U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico this month also cleared a hurdle for lawmakers of both parties.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer in an interview Tuesday downplayed the effect that Trump’s angry outburst toward Pelosi would have on the USMCA process, and he emphasized the need for the White House to address Democratic policy objections.
"We are trying to get to yes," Hoyer said.
Rush Vote
Pelosi has repeatedly made clear that rushing a vote -- like the president has said was necessary -- would be a bad idea. There’s precedent for Pelosi stalling trade agreements in Congress that she felt weren’t strong enough on labor and the environment.