2019 USMCA vote uncertain

Despite continuing conversations between the nine-member U.S. House of Representatives’ working group and the White House regarding the U.S. – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA), Speaker Nancy Pelosi now says a vote may not take place until early 2020. Mexico has ratified the agreement; Canada has not.

Following a mid-November meeting with Richard Trumka, president of the AFL-CIO, the U.S.’s largest labor union, Pelosi said “We can reach an agreement on USMCA when the Trade Representative makes the agreement enforceable for America’s workers.” The AFL-CIO is advocating against the USMCA over concerns about Mexico’s ability to implement and sustain labor reforms.

In mid-October, NAFEM participated in a social media “call to action” day and joined more than 300 trade associations and companies that sent a joint letter to Congress advocating for speedy passage of the USMCA. At the same time, Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador also sent a letter to Neal urging passage of the USMCA.