US Senate passes USMCA, the new North American trade deal
Canada still needs to approve the deal before it can replace the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement.
The United States Senate on Thursday approved a revamp of the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that includes tougher rules on labour and automotive content but leaves $1.2 trillion in annual US-Mexico–Canada trade flows largely unchanged.
The legislation for the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) passed on an 89-10 bipartisan vote. The measure will now go to President Donald Trump for him to sign into law.
The US House of Representatives, where Democrats hold the majority, passed the legislation on December 19 after insisting on changes to improve enforcement of new labour rights.
Canada still needs to approve the trade deal before it can take effect and replace the quarter-century-old NAFTA, which Trump has blamed for the loss of thousands of US factory jobs to lower-wage Mexico.
Canada’s parliament does not return to session until January 27, so the scheduling of a vote there remains unclear. But the USMCA is expected to see little resistance in Canada, as Conservatives have said they would back the deal negotiated earlier by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal-dominated government.
“Today the Senate will send this landmark agreement to the president’s desk. A big bipartisan win,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said in Senate floor remarks.
The vote comes a day after Trump signed a phase one trade deal with China, and shortly before the Senate formally began the impeachment trial of Trump on charges that he abused his power.