- The deal offers President Donald Trump and moderate Democrats a legislative win against the backdrop of a high-profile impeachment scandal.
- Trump made a pledge to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement a center of his campaign in 2016, calling it the "worst trade deal ever made."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
Democrats and White House announce NAFTA rewrite, giving Trump a win as his impeachment scandal rages
Congress on Tuesday reached an agreement with the White House on a rewrite of a 25-year-old trade pact with Mexico and Canada.
Recommended articles
Congress on Tuesday reached an agreement with the White House on a rewrite of a 25-year-old trade pact with Mexico and Canada, offering President Donald Trump and moderate Democrats a legislative win against the backdrop of a high-profile impeachment scandal.
The US-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA was announced by the North American neighbors in late 2018, but the terms of it have been under negotiation on multiple fronts since then. The breakthrough this week came after US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Democrats were able to compromise on labor and pharmaceutical provisions.
"It is infinitely better than what was initially proposed by the administration," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said at a press conference announcing Democratic support for the deal.
Trump made a pledge to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement a center of his campaign in 2016, calling it the "worst trade deal ever made." He seized on the announcement early Tuesday, which came just an hour after House Democrats said they would move ahead with two articles of impeachment against him including abuse of his power in office and obstruction of Congress.
"America's great USMCA Trade Bill is looking good," the president wrote on Twitter. "It will be the best and most important trade deal ever made by the USA. Good for everybody - Farmers, Manufacturers, Energy, Unions - tremendous support. Importantly, we will finally end our Country's worst Trade Deal, NAFTA!"
The International Trade Commission concluded in an April report that the original USMCA would have a modest but positive effect on the US economy, mostly because it would reduce uncertainty for businesses and investors.
Gross domestic product by 0.35 percentage points over six years under the agreement, the ITC estimated. It could create roughly 30,000 auto industry jobs, but overall American car production and consumption would fall because of higher prices.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
See Also:
- A SoHo penthouse once listed for $65 million is now selling at a 25% discount. Take a look inside the triplex loft that's in the same building where Heath Ledger lived.
- Here's how much money you have to earn to be considered rich in 42 major US cities
- These are the watches worn by some of the most powerful businessmen and CEOs in the world
SEE ALSO: The US raked in a record $7.2 billion in tariffs in October, new data shows