‘NIGHTMARE’ OVER
USMCA ‘ends the Nafta nightmare’
Trump signs a new North American trade agreement during a ceremony attended by 400 guests, but no key Democrats.
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed a new North American trade agreement during an outdoor ceremony at the White House attended by about 400 guests — but not the key Democrats who helped secure congressional passage of the deal.
Trump, on trial in the US Senate on charges of abusing power and obstructing Congress, welcomed Republican senators at the South Lawn event by name.
Other guests included lawmakers from around the country, workers, farmers and chief executive officers, and officials from Mexico and Canada, the White House said.
The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will replace the 26-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), including tougher rules on labour and automotive content but leaving $1.2 trillion in annual US-MexicoCanada trade flows largely unchanged.
“Today, we are finally ending the Nafta nightmare and signing into law the brand-new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” Trump told the crowd.
Flanked by a group of American workers wearing hard hats, Trump said the agreement would bolster US economic growth, benefiting farmers, workers and manufacturers.
A wide array of business groups welcomed the agreement, which also won a rare endorsement of the AFL-CIO union federation.
Mexico has already approved the deal, but it must still be ratified by
Canada’s parliament before it can take effect.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking in Ottawa, said his minority government would continue to answer questions posed by various industries and other groups.
“We have questions and we have a process for ratification. I just look forward to getting, getting through it responsibly and rapidly because it’s so important for Canadians,” he said.
Excluded from the event were House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal and other Democrats who negotiated with the Trump administration for months to expand the pact’s labour, environmental and enforcement provisions and pave the way for its approval by the Democratic-controlled House.
Trump did not mention the work done by Pelosi or other Democrats on the trade pact, but US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, in his remarks at the ceremony, acknowledged the role that House leaders played in getting the deal done.
Partisan tensions were running high as US senators started to pose questions in Trump’s impeachment trial, ahead of a key vote later this week on whether to allow the calling of witnesses like former national security adviser John Bolton.
Pelosi told reporters that Democrats had ensured “vast improvements” to the USMCA before it was approved, despite their absence from Trump’s White House event, adding, “I hope he understands what he’s signing today.”
The US Senate this month overwhelmingly approved legislation to implement the USMCA, sending the measure to Trump for signing into law.
US lawmakers said it was unclear when the accord would take effect, since Canada’s main opposition Conservative Party had expressed concerns about aspects of the deal and there was no exact timeline for ratification there.
Even after Canada ratifies the accord, implementation could take several more months since the three countries must show they are meeting their obligations before the clock starts ticking on an effective date.