[CTC] Lighthizer, Pelosi meeting Thursday to talk NAFTA

[Arthur Stamoulis]

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/20/lighthizer-pelosi-meeting-trade-usmca-072346 <http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001BqBHZkluRvAfHejG3ev40-78cej7CjlogR5ZUKcpqdh52OPj8_uyFkY6MvARKV3_bt-iIAGo3NwUbfmkXo-QPg9zpvnQERMehpoK-nsZqM7gOC4sk0M4J7U-AjwXyvNsU-y7zXjgoiw0v_TxCYZJKLNSkhYv4vlX-umIT-VBFSlhmkRTIsqa2CdPTduVJue4dXYCihDKI9ErOqPwGfuM4ZbLY6HJYNncOSMKKq5X8v8=&c=TlFQ1l2TKGusaZcGl85iHQ4MesFcooIbmT_x1l3GrRSSjA1AOVgVjA==&ch=QalyTU1_Kgt3aOz7beyZClR4dY5N8kcj-eMHBO6MGKv7UCAu1ZhjDA==>


Lighthizer, Pelosi meeting Thursday to talk USMCA
By Sabrina Rodriguez
November 20, 2019

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer will meet with Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) on Thursday to discuss the USMCA as both sides face increased pressure to strike a deal that would allow for a House vote.

Lighthizer will be on Capitol Hill to discuss the remaining roadblocks to passing the NAFTA update, a spokesperson for Pelosi confirmed.

The meeting comes after Pelosi and Neal indicated Tuesday that Lighthizer needs to agree to changes to make USMCA's labor provisions enforceable before a vote can occur.

"We can reach an agreement on USMCA when the Trade Representative makes the new NAFTA agreement enforceable for America's workers," they said.

Lighthizer and his office have not yet responded to that joint statement, so the meeting Thursday could make or break the deal.

The face-to-face also lands on the last day that the House is in session before Thanksgiving. Democrats and the Trump administration originally hoped to strike a deal before the weeklong recess, but Democrats’ continued concern over enforcement remains a sticking point.

Pelosi has faced increase pressure in recent days to deliver on USMCA, as there is increasing frustration among moderate Democrats over the slow pace of action.

The Trump administration has been negotiating since June with a group of nine Democrats tapped by Pelosi to secure changes to the USMCA. Those negotiations have focused on Democrats' four major areas of concern: enforcement, labor and environmental standards, as well as prescription drug pricing.

People close to the negotiations told POLITICO that three of those concerns have largely been resolved but enforcement is the outstanding issue.

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826




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