Trade Cases
USMCA Submission to Congress Likely After Sept. 1
Written by Sandy Williams
July 11, 2019
The final draft of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is not likely to be submitted to Congress until after Sept. 1, setting up possible ratification by the end of the year. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is waiting until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi assures him there are enough votes to pass the agreement in the House. Once the agreement is submitted, Congress has 90 working days to hold a vote.
“Lighthizer has said that we will submit formal legislation when [Pelosi] gives a green light on the vote,” said National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow on Tuesday. “So, the two of them are working rather well together, and I think the outcome’s going to be extremely positive.”
Whitehouse advisors have cautioned President Trump not to submit the final draft until Speaker Pelosi is ready, despite Trump’s protestations that the delay is too long and that Congress is a “do-nothing” entity.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-IA) said once the agreement is sent to the Senate from the House, “we can quickly pass it.”
Democrats are still concerned about labor provisions, environmental standards, pharmaceuticals and enforcement–problems a coalition appointed by Pelosi are working to resolve.
Ratification of USMCA before the election season begins would be a victory for Trump’s re-election efforts. Having a new North American deal to extol on the campaign trail would give some credibility to his claims of being a master trade negotiator.
Following the lifting of Section 232 tariffs, Mexican lawmakers ratified the agreement. Canada said it will wait to do so until the U.S. is ready.
Sandy Williams
Read more from Sandy WilliamsLatest in Trade Cases
Price: Should billions in Section 232 revenue go to foreign manufacturers or to the American people?
Do we want the benefits of the Section 232 tariffs to flow to the bottom lines of foreign steel and aluminum producers or to the US government and, ultimately, domestic manufacturers and their workers? In our view, the answer is simple. Section 232 exceptions do nothing more than lead to underserved profits for foreign manufacturers who are harming the US industrial base. That revenue could be used to pursue the Trump administration’s other policy priorities - such as deficit reduction or expanded tax cuts.
Mills allege ‘critical circumstances’ in CORE trade case vs. South Africa, UAE
"Recent activity in the marketplace strongly indicates that these imports are being rushed into the United States in an effort to avoid the imposition of antidumping duties," petitioners said.
European Commission eyes retaliation vs. Trump steel tariffs: Report
The European Commission is looking into making current quotas on steel imports stricter as a countermeasure to President Trump’s recently announced tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to the US, according to an article in Reuters.
Trump could levy tariffs on auto imports in April: Report
President Donald Trump said last week that he could place tariffs on auto imports, according to an article in Politico.
Section 232 tariffs are headed downstream
The Trump administration has revealed the list of derivative steel products being added to the Section 232 tariff list.