Grassley: USMCA Could Still Pass This Year, But It Would Need To Be Rushed

Senator Chuck Grassley says Congressional approval of USMCA could still happen this year, but it would need to be a rush job.  Grassley, chairman of the Senate Finance Committee said USMCA ratification could still happen by Christmas, despite just 15 legislative days left when both chambers are in session, and, as he put it an apparent lack of interest from House leaderships.  Historically, Congress has taken much longer to pass trade deals.

"The House could pass USMCA in a couple of hours if they wanted to.  Now, there’s got to be, I think, it’s ten-hours of debate I the Senate, under TPA. But we could pass it in one day, too.”

Grassley also points to more positive comments by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

“It was a week ago, this last weekend, that Pelosi told Bloomberg, that she expected it to come up, so I feel very positive about it.”

However, Pelosi recently told Bloomberg News, “I’d like to have it done as soon as it’s ready. I wouldn’t rule it out next year. Hopefully, we can do it sooner, but when it’s ready, we’ll do it.”  And the problem, she noted, is still “enforcement” of USMCA labor and environment provisions.

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com