[CTC] Chamber set to launch business coalition backing NAFTA's passage

[Arthur Stamoulis]

INSIDE US TRADE
Chamber set to launch business coalition backing USMCA's passage
January 07, 2019 at 7:29 AM
A coalition of business groups focused on getting the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement through Congress is slated to be launched in the coming weeks, Inside U.S. Trade has learned.
 
More than 30 business associations are “involved so far,” according to a source familiar with the effort. The coalition, led by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, will focus on facilitating the USMCA’s passage on Capitol Hill.
 
Similar coalitions were formed by the Chamber for past trade agreements, including U.S. deals with Korea, Panama, Colombia.
 
The coalition held an initial meeting in mid-December, the source added.
 
USMCA's passage is the Chamber’s top trade priority for 2019 <https://insidetrade.com/node/165409>, according to Myron Brilliant, the Chamber's executive vice president and head of international affairs. And while outstanding issues – such as steel and aluminum tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports – remain a concern, Brilliant said it was imperative that USMCA advance.
 
Analysts recently flagged the partial government shutdown, which could delay a critical USMCA analysis from the U.S. International Trade Commission, and the election of Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) as House speaker as potential roadblocks that could slow USMCA's progress <https://insidetrade.com/node/165467>.
 
“There are issues to address, there are impediments, there are some challenges, but at the end of the day it’s important to get USMCA passed through the Congress,” he told Inside U.S. Trade last month. “We need to move forward.”
 
Citing benefits associated with the new deal, such as stronger IP, financial services and digital trade provisions, Brilliant said he hoped the Section 232 tariffs could be resolved before Congress considered the deal.
 
Brilliant said the odds of a USMCA vote before the Section 232 tariffs are addressed were low, calling a resolution “important in order to garner support in both the House and Senate and [among] Democrats and Republicans alike.”
 
At the signing of the deal in Buenos Aires on Nov. 30, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer called the Section 232 tariffs “something we are turning out attention to <https://insidetrade.com/node/165158>.”
 
The status of the Section 232 tariffs remains unknown. Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Marquez discussed the measures <https://af.reuters.com/article/africaTech/idAFN9N1UR00B> during a Dec. 20 call, according to Reuters. Mexico and Canada continue to strenuously object to the tariffs. – Isabelle Hoagland (ihoagland at iwpnews.com <mailto:ihoagland at iwpnews.com>)
 
 
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