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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Twelve US Republican senators on Wednesday urged President Donald Trump to submit an agreement on the update of the North American Free Trade Agreement to Congress for adoption. here the end of the year, before Democrats take control of the House of Representatives.
FILE PHOTO: Flags of Canada, Mexico and the United States are visible on a lectern before a joint press conference on the closing of the seventh round of NAFTA negotiations in Mexico City, Mexico, March 5, 2018 REUTERS / Edgard Garrido / File Photo
"We are concerned that if the administration waits next year to send Congress a bill of application, the adoption of the USMCA as negotiated will become much more difficult" , wrote the senators, led by Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.
The new agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico, reached in September after tense negotiations and aimed at updating the decades-old NAFTA, must be signed by the three governments towards the United States. November 30th. This leaves little time for a vote before a newly elected Congress will take office in January, with Democrats controlling the House of Representatives after the elections held earlier this month.
Some Democrats, including Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, have stated that they would demand a stricter application of new labor standards and the environment in the agreement. USMCA. [nL2N1XI00G]
The letter from the Republican Senators asserted that it was still possible for the current Republican-led Congress to consider and vote on the USMCA agreement if the White House submitted a final text of the Before 30 November and invoked an accelerated provision. allowed according to the rules of commercial priority
"These documents can be forwarded to Congress at any time, including before the signing of the agreement and on any calendar day," the senators wrote, adding that this would allow them to submit legislation to the government. 39th USMCA application 30 days later, for late adoption. December.
The USMCA text is not finalized. The United States is seeking to amend the text adopted on September 30 in areas such as wine and dairy products, according to informed sources of the talks. [nL2N1XJ1IJ]
Negotiations to lift US tariffs on Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum, which have been loosely linked to NAFTA talks, are also not resolved, but are not part of the new commercial agreement.
The "fast track" law on trade promotion authorities sets lengthy deadlines to allow Congress to scrutinize trade agreements before proceeding to a positive or negative vote. It requires a study by the US International Trade Commission on the economic impact of this agreement, which could take up to 105 days after the signing of the agreement.
The USMCA would also be subject to the plenary committee process and a long period of debate, which would likely delay the review of the agreement until 2019.
The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Orrin Hatch, a senior Republican who did not sign the letter, said that a possible move this year was not possible and that the members were still reviewing the text of the USMCA.
The fast-track rule "sets clear deadlines and transparency requirements to allow members of Congress and the public to conduct a thorough review," Hatch said in a statement. "The USMCA review by Congress this year is not realistic, but I look forward to continuing consultations with the Trump administration."
Reporting by David Lawder, edited by Rosalba O & # 39; Brien
