Trump Doesn’t Invite House Democrats to USMCA Signing Ceremony

President Donald Trump did not invite House Democrats to Wednesday’s signing ceremony of the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) at the White House, said the office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).

“The White House hasn’t invite House Democrats to their USMCA signing ceremony,” Pelosi spokesman Henry Connelly said in a statement Tuesday. “But we’ll be well represented in the huge changes to the original USMCA draft that Democrats wrested out of the Administration on labor, prescription drugs, environment and enforcement mechanisms.”

Earlier this month, the Senate overwhelmingly voted in favor of the revamped trade pact — 89 to 10 — delivering President Trump a key legislative victory in a presidential election year. The approval came after China agreed to buy an additional $200 billion in U.S. goods and services over the next two years as part of their “phase one” trade agreement.

The House approved the agreement 358-41 on December 19, after a year of difficult talks between the White House and House Democrats — who have spent months focused on impeaching the president.

The USMCA will usher in new trade considerations, including rules that state 75 percent of vehicle parts must be made in the three countries to be tariff-free. Additionally, 45 percent of car parts must be made by workers earning $16 per house. Moreover, the agreement will expand U.S. farmers’ access to Canada’s lucrative dairy market.

President Donald Trump signed the agreement with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and then-Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in November 2019.

In a recent interview with Breitbart News, Vice President Mike Pence lauded the deal as a “huge win” for the working class.

“USMCA is a huge win for American workers and American farmers,” Pence said. “It is a historic achievement following decades of shuttered factories and lost jobs in the wake of NAFTA.”
“I was there every step of the way as the president worked relentlessly negotiating with the outgoing president in Mexico and Prime Minister Trudeau in Canada,” the vice president added. “He drove a hard bargain.”