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Democrats and White House Agree on Revised NAFTA Pact

The new deal, now called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, concludes months of negotiations to satisfy the needs of both parties and the president.

The White House and House Democrats say they reached an agreement for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a Trump-demanded revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. NAFTA, which came to fruition under President Bill Clinton in 1994, facilitated North American cross-border transportation of goods traded among the three nations. President Trump previously called it “worst trade deal ever,” and threatened to withdraw from it altogether unless it was revised. The pact follows months of negotiations as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Trump trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer. The compromise was stalled in part because House Democrats were not satisfied with the revisions pertaining to the protections of unions and workers’ rights in Mexico. Daniel Ujczo, a trade lawyer at the firm Dickinson Wright, said “many trade deals have been made during markups, and many more have been sent back for more work.” Democrats are expected to hold markups, which will allow for additional changes.