The Trump administration will formally notify Congress on Thursday it’s moving forward with its plan to get NAFTA approved, a move that may raise pressure on Democrats at a time when the party doesn’t fully support the deal, according to people familiar with the plans.
White House officials are expected to submit a so-called Statement of Administrative Action, a step toward introducing legislation that would bring the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement into force. The move starts a minimum 30-day period for consultations between the White House and Congress to finalize the bill, before a vote can take place.
It could set up a showdown with Democrats who have opposed efforts by the Trump administration to rush a vote on the deal. While some Democrats are also pushing the White House’s goal for approval before the August recess, others are wary of delivering Trump a signature legislative victory as he hits the campaign trail for his 2020 re-election bid.
Congressional aides, who declined to be identified, said it was premature to send the notice after U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer had pledged to give House Speaker Nancy Pelosi the time to address Democrats’ concerns in the pact. One of the aides said the move could imperil the chances of the accord being cleared by Congress.
Summer deal
The Trump administration is “making energetic efforts”’ to see Congress pass the deal “this summer,” said Vice President Mike Pence on a visit to Ottawa on Thursday for discussions on advancing the pact with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Asked at a news conference later whether acrimony between President Donald Trump and Pelosi could get in the way of ratification in Washington, Pence said that “The president and I are absolutely determined to work with rank and file in Congress and the leadership to move the USMCA forward.”
The U.S., Canada and Mexico signed the new trade deal in November after a year of negotiations behind closed doors to hammer out the pact. The Trump administration notified Congress at the end of January that it would need to modify several U.S. laws to make good on proposed changes on auto-content rules and other issues in the agreement.
The notice being presented by the White House to Congress outlines U.S. legal obligations that are required by the USMCA.
Trump is pursuing approval of the deal under so-called fast-track authority, which enables him to seek a straight yes-or-not vote in exchange for clearing certain procedural hurdles.
House Democrats have raised a number of areas where they would like to see changes, including to provisions governing labor, the environment and pharmaceuticals. In a step viewed as positive, Pelosi his month created working groups to negotiate with the administration and the removal of U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico this month also cleared a hurdle for lawmakers of both parties.
The U.S. Trade Representative’s Office didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
