While most media attention in recent months on the issue of trade has revolved around the U.S. and China, the Trump Administration says a more important trade deal has already been negotiated---but has yet to get a vote in Congress. In a video for Breitbart News, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro urged House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to hold a vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). "The U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement is far more important than any China deal," he says. "America has almost twice the amount of trade with Canada and Mexico than it does with China."
Navarro goes on to warn that there are only a few days remaining in this year's legislative calendar. "If Nancy Pelosi fails to put the USMCA up for a vote this month, it will be a signal failure of our political process and an economic catastrophe," says Navarro.
The Trump administration negotiated the USMCA as a replacement for the decades-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and the deal is believed to have strong bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. "Especially if you're a member of Congress on the border who understands international trade and understands the kind of economic impact it will have in these areas, it's a no-brainer," says Nelson Balido, chairman and CEO of the Border Commerce and Security Council. "There are many Democrats who are for this, especially some of these border members who understand that this affects their communities directly."
Balido, whose group speaks directly to members of Congress, echoes the White House in calling for a vote on USMCA. "Look, we've got to quit playing politics on this, and we've got to get down to business," he tells KTRH.