<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div class=""><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><a href="https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/25/democrats-usmca-impeachment-1511003" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class="">https://www.politico.com/story/2019/09/25/democrats-usmca-impeachment-1511003</a>]</span></div></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span></i></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-color: white;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Democrats vow trade deal talks will continue despite impeachment push<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">By Megan Cassella, Sabrina Rodriguez<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;" class="">09/25/2019</span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Democrats working with the Trump administration to try to pass a new North American trade agreement say they are unbowed in their efforts to try to get a deal done this year, even as the House dives into an impeachment inquiry.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Just hours after Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the House would launch a formal impeachment inquiry on President Donald Trump, the Democratic Caucus met Wednesday morning<b class=""> </b>in part to get an update on the continuing U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement negotiations.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.), who leads the nine-member working group negotiating changes to the deal with the Trump administration, said he had one message for the caucus at the meeting: “Proceed with optimism.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“There is no reason, based on what happened yesterday, to think that there’s any deterrents that will hold us back,” Neal told reporters afterward.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">House Democrats have been working closely for months with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer to negotiate changes to Trump’s signature deal to replace NAFTA. They have outlined four main areas where they are seeking stronger language: labor, environment, access to medicines and enforcement.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Despite several weeks of near-constant engagement, a broad majority of the caucus remains unsatisfied with the current text of the deal in those and other areas.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">And Democratic congressional aides say Pelosi will not call the deal up for a vote unless or until a substantial portion of the caucus is on board. She has held firm even as some more moderate Democrats and those in more trade-dependent districts have begun to indicate their support for the agreement.<b class=""> </b>Business groups, farmers and Republicans alike are also growing more restless to see it in place to help benefit the U.S. economy.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The Trump administration, which is pushing to get the deal passed before the end of the year, sent counterproposals to Capitol Hill earlier this month in an attempt to meet Democrats’ top concerns. But the offer fell short and amounted to “an incomplete response,” Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who sits on the Ways and Means Committee, told POLITICO on Wednesday.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Still, the resounding outlook from Democrats on Wednesday was that the back-and-forth will continue as planned even as the impeachment inquiry continues. Although some members acknowledged the probe will affect everything that happens in the House, several others emphasized that the two issues can advance simultaneously.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“We can do more than one thing at a time,” said Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), a member of the working group.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), another of the group’s members, went a step further, suggesting the inquiry could be beneficial for trade talks because it means the White House will be more willing to strike a compromise to get USMCA approved.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“Sometimes when there’s a crisis, there’s more opportunity,” Gomez told POLITICO.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">For now, the plan remains for working group members to send another counterproposal back to the Trump administration by the end of the week. Members said the U.S. trade office also appears committed to continuing negotiations as usual.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“Not sure about the White House, but at least USTR’s office is interested in engaging still,” said Rep. Ron Kind (D-Wis.).<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">But the administration is posturing that legislative business will be hampered by the impeachment inquiry.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“I don’t know whether or not they’re going to have time to do any deals,” Trump said Wednesday afternoon when asked about the prospects for USMCA, after he signed a mini-agreement with Japan in New York City. “All they’re talking about is nonsense.“<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">He then turned to Lighthizer to ask for his perspective. “I think it will come up to a vote,” Lighthizer replied. “When it comes up for a vote, I’m confident it will pass.“<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">On Tuesday evening, White House press secretary said that by moving forward with impeachment, House Democrats have “destroyed any chances of legislative progress for the people of this country by continuing to focus all their energy on partisan political attacks.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The statement made no direct reference to USMCA, however, which has long been the Trump administration’s top legislative priority.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Neal shrugged off the threat on Wednesday.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“Any threat to shut down the work of the legislative branch would be a violation of the separation of powers,” the Massachusetts Democrat said. “I intend fully for Ways and Means responsibilities to proceed.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Other Democrats, too, appeared unfazed by the White House’s threat.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 258.65pt 12pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; line-height: 18pt; background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“Figuring out what’s in [Trump’s] head and trying to act upon that is a futile exercise,” said Rep. Dan Kildee (D-Mich.). “We just have to keep our heads down and keep doing our work.”</span></p><div class="">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; border-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; " class=""><div class="">Arthur Stamoulis</div><div class="">Citizens Trade Campaign</div><div class="">(202) 494-8826</div><div class=""><br class=""></div></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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