<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=us-ascii"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class="">Politico Pro<br class="">
<p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><strong class="">Pelosi: Democrats still looking for path to 'yes' on new NAFTA</strong><o:p class=""></o:p></p><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">By Adam Behsudi <o:p class=""></o:p></div><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">05/02/2019 12:29 PM EDT<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said today Democrats "would like to get to yes" on ratification of the new NAFTA deal, but <u class="">the agreement's language must be altered</u> to address<b class=""> </b>their concerns over its enforcement, labor, environmental and prescription drug provisions.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">"There's different suggestions, but I say it has to be <u class="">part of the agreement</u>," the California Democrat told reporters, referring to the need to strengthen enforcement language<b class="">.</b> "It can't be a sidebar or side letter, later legislation or anything like that."<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Pelosi called enforcement the "overarching" issue that must be dealt with before Democrats will consider the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">President Donald Trump has made passage of the deal his top legislative priority in 2019, as it would be an achievement he would try to use to his advantage during his reelection campaign next year. The administration has told lawmakers it would only submit a bill to implement the agreement once Pelosi says she is ready to accept the deal.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Democrats this week said the administration has failed to satisfy concerns they've raised for months.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">"I thought it would be easier than this because we've been clear about enforcement in any trade agreement, whether it's with China or whether it's ... in our own hemisphere," Pelosi said. "Enforcement is key to all of it."<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Several Democrats have suggested the administration could work with its North American counterparts to agree on <u class="">specific amendments to be incorporated into the dea</u>l to address criticisms of existing provisions.<o:p class=""></o:p></p><p style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Procedurally, possible consideration of the deal on Capitol Hill is closer than ever before after the U.S. International Trade Commission last month <a href="http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=90303e7f65cb2c7f90a9041a9d0db68c3e5a82ae72354a3e80db3ce1daf4786bd242e452fdd9cabcebeb5e126d3f953a" target="_blank" style="color: purple;" class="">released</a> a mandatory analysis of the agreement's economic impacts. That cleared one major hurdle, and Mexico on Tuesday passed a landmark labor reform law required by the new pact. But the administration's efforts to meet remaining procedural steps will<b class=""> </b>mean little as long as Democrats say<b class=""> </b>their concerns have not been addressed.</p><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">Arthur Stamoulis</div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">Citizens Trade Campaign</div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class="">(202) 494-8826</div><div style="orphans: 2; widows: 2;" class=""><br class=""></div></div></body></html>