Pelosi Hits Trump For Not Knowing How To Pass US/Canada/Mexico Trade Deal

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) called out the White House for not knowing what they are doing after they sent the House a statement of action before the USMCA trade deal is done.

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Speaker Pelosi said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

The Trump Administration’s decision to send Congress a draft statement of administrative action before we have finished working with U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer to ensure the USMCA benefits American workers and farmers is not a positive step. It indicates a lack of knowledge on the part of the Administration on the policy and process to pass a trade agreement.

Democrats have continued to work productively and with great respect for Ambassador Lighthizer around the priorities of labor standards to defend the jobs and wages of American workers, lower prescription drug costs and meaningful environmental protections. We must have strong enforcement provisions within the agreement.

We all agree that we must replace NAFTA, but without real enforcement mechanisms we would be locking American workers into another bad deal. A new trade agreement without enforcement is not progress for the American worker, just a press release for the President.

We have been on a path to yes, but it must be a path that leads to an agreement that delivers positive results for American workers and farmers.

One would hope that someone working in the White House would know that an administration statement of action on a trade agreement is not going to get the trade agreement passed. The House has to mark up and pass the trade deal after the president signs it. A statement of administrative action has no place in the process.

It appears that Trump is trying to railroad the House out of the process. As Pelosi noted, Trump must get a deal that protects American workers and farmers while being able to pass the House.

The Trump White House appears to have no idea what they are doing which is why they were taken to school by Speaker Pelosi.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association