Democrats concerned about USMCA enforcement

WASHINGTON — U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday that Democrats are especially concerned about enforcement of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement and Mexico’s implementation of labor standards, a spokesman for Pelosi said.

Pelosi spoke by telephone with Trudeau to give him an update on negotiations between Congress and the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office (USTR), repeating Democrats’ “key concerns of labor standards, prescription drug prices, environmental protections and concrete enforcement mechanisms,” the spokesman said in a statement.

“The Speaker emphasized that Democrats are especially concerned with enforcement of the Agreement and Mexico continuing to implement labor standards and other key commitments,” the statement said.

The trade agreement, which leaders from the United States, Mexico and Canada signed in November, must be ratified by lawmakers in all three countries. Mexican lawmakers have already done so.

A statement from Trudeau’s office said: “The Prime Minister and the Speaker discussed progress on the new North American Free Trade Agreement and welcomed ongoing work towards its ratification.”

The Trump administration is pressing lawmakers to quickly ratify the USMCA, which will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement, but Democrats who have the House majority say they will proceed only when their concerns have been addressed. The U.S. Senate is controlled by Republicans.