Is the US Making Progress Towards Ratifying the USMCA Trade Agreement?

The USMCA trade agreement appears to be making progress stateside with US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggesting that House Democrats were getting ready to back a tweaked version of the agreement, and were getting ready for a final review.

According to a statement by Pelosi, “We are within range of a substantially improved agreement for America’s workers. Now, we need to see our progress in writing from the Trade Representative for final review.”

US President Donald Trump, together with Canada and Mexico, had announced the USMCA as a replacement for the older NAFTA agreement, but faced resistance from Democrats who flagged concerns about enforcement environmental and labor regulations within the scope of the new trade agreement.

The last meeting held in the previous week between House Democrats and the Trump administration failed to make much headway. Mexico has already ratified the new agreement while Canada is awaiting its ratification by the US. On Monday, the Mexican government exhorted Democrats to approve the USMCA and work towards ratification so it could be enforced soon.