Senate approves new USMCA trade deal with Canada and Mexico

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Washington Post

The Senate approved a sweeping economic pact between the United States, Canada and Mexico on Thursday, delivering on President Trump’s promise of a new and better North American trade deal just ahead of his impeachment trial.

The vote was 89-10 as an overwhelming majority of senators of both parties supported the agreement, as expected. Last month, the House of Representatives approved the revised agreement by a similarly wide margin, after months of negotiations between Democrats and the White House produced pro-labor revisions and jettisoned drug exclusivity language sought by the pharmaceutical industry. The 12-million-strong AFL-CIO was closely involved in negotiating the changes and backed the agreement, along with some other major unions.

Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) called passage of the deal “A major win for Kentucky and all 50 states. A major win for our country. A major win for the Trump administration.” Indeed passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement hands Trump a key victory at a moment of political peril, with the Senate poised to begin his impeachment trial after the House delivered its articles of impeachment Wednesday evening.

Trump made his opposition to the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement a centerpiece of his campaign for president in 2016. He can now boast of delivering a new trade deal that includes major new protections for American workers, even though many of those were negotiated by House Democrats over the objection of Senate Republicans. Trump must still sign the revised North American Free Trade Agreement, something he suggested he would likely do next week.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2020/01/16/senate-approves-new-usmca-trade-deal-with-canada-mexico/

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Saw the blip on CSPAN2 when the final vote tally was up on the screen.

[dalton99a]

1. "Many of those were negotiated by House Democrats over the objection of Senate Republicans."

[LiberalLovinLug]

2. "pro-labor revisions and jettisoned drug exclusivity language"

From the outside it seems as if its a better deal for labour and for cheaper drugs. I highly doubt that its going over well with the 1%. At least those most affected.

I don't know enough about it, but I suspect that business got something in exchange for those concessions. Still, I'll bet a lot of wealthy Trump backers wish he'd never re-opened it.

"..a new trade deal that includes major new protections for American workers, even though many of those were negotiated by House Democrats over the objection of Senate Republicans."

Why do Democrats allow them to get away with things like this? Happens all the time. Democrats fight to get amendments on bi-partisan bills on the side of workers, or sick people, or veterans, on and on. Then when its passed, Mitch waddles up to the mic and announces how Republicans passed this bill, with no help from the Do Nothing Dems, which has all these great benefits for workers, and sick people and veterans!