[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 186 (Wednesday, November 20, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6681-S6682]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 UNITED STATES-MEXICO-CANADA AGREEMENT

  Mr. McCONNELL. Mr. President, on another matter, earlier this week, I 
got to attend the Kentucky Electric Cooperative's annual meeting. The 
group represents 26 co-ops across Kentucky, particularly in rural 
communities.
  We talked about the positive trends for what you might call Middle 
America over the past several years--the nascent economic turnaround in 
small towns, small cities, farm country, rural America, and other 
places the Obama economy largely left behind.
  We also talked about the work still ahead. One of the major 
priorities that Kentuckians mentioned is the USMCA. I have heard it 
from our farmers, manufacturers, logistics providers, and bourbon 
distillers. Almost every sector of our economy would benefit from this 
trade deal.
  Together, Canada and Mexico make up a $500 billion export market for 
the United States. This major update to

[[Page S6682]]

our trading framework with our neighbors would send that number even 
higher, generate more wealth here at home, and create an estimated 
176,000 new American jobs.
  It is no wonder that so many Kentuckians and so many people around 
the country want Washington to get it done. I hear from everybody, from 
family farming operations to midsize manufacturers, to Fortune 500 
firms, such as UPS and Toyota, that employ thousands and thousands in 
my State. All of them want this fairer, better playing field in trade 
with Canada and Mexico.
  In a little more than a week from now, it will have been a full year 
since President Trump signed the draft agreement along with the leaders 
of Canada and Mexico--1 full year--but for months now, this 
generational agreement has been sitting on ice over in the House of 
Representatives. Speaker Pelosi has refused to allow a vote.
  In public, House Democrats insist and insist that they care about 
more things than simply impeaching the President. They insist that they 
want to work together and legislate, but actions speak louder than 
words, and apparently, thus far, House Democrats have preferred to 
block 176,000 new jobs for American workers rather than put impeachment 
aside and get along with the White House for 5 minutes. It appears 
there is no governing priority--no matter how bipartisan, no matter how 
beneficial to American families--that will not take a backseat to 
impeachment.
  Month after month, every time she has been asked about this subject, 
the Speaker of the House has offered the same empty rhetoric. She is 
always close to allowing the vote. Her conference is always ``almost 
there, almost there,'' but we have been almost there for months and 
months with no outcome in sight. Lots of talk but zero results.
  Back in February, the Speaker was asked about the USMCA. She said, 
``I'm optimistic.'' That was last February.
  We heard the same thing in May and in June. ``We want to pass this 
bill.'' We heard the same thing through the summer and in September and 
in October. ``Every day we're becoming closer,'' she said. A few weeks 
ago the Speaker said: ``I think we are close . . . the last mile,'' and 
she called this ``the easiest trade deal that we've ever done.'' A few 
days ago, the Speaker insisted, yet again, a vote was ``imminent.'' 
That was a few days ago.

  This has been the House Democrats' wild goose chase. This is what our 
American families, American job creators, and our partners in Mexico 
and Canada have had to put up with. Every time the Trump administration 
meets the Speaker halfway, she tries to move the goal post another 10 
yards. She literally has not even updated her own talking points since 
Valentine's Day--textbook obstruction.
  Just in case anybody did not yet understand that the real roadblock 
here is partisan politics, I understand the Speaker hosted Richard 
Trumka yesterday, head of the AFL-CIO, a power player in leftwing Big 
Labor. He came to the Capitol to quell the uprising of the Democrats' 
own Members who can't believe this thing still hasn't passed. How 
ironic. We are talking about a trade deal that would create more 
American jobs, and Democrats are considering outsourcing their judgment 
to Big Labor special interests, who, to my recollection, have not 
supported a single major trade deal in living memory.
  Let's get this straight. It sounds like the head of the AFL-CIO--an 
organization that has never supported any trade agreement--is now the 
guy who gives the go-ahead on USMCA? We are talking about a trade deal, 
and Democrats are considering outsourcing their own jobs to the head of 
AFL-CIO--really? I wish I were making this up.
  Reporters got ahold of the chairman of the House Ways and Means 
Committee yesterday, and he literally said the deal would move forward 
``if we can get Richard Trumka to agree.'' So the head of the AFL-CIO--
an organization that has never supported a trade agreement--is now the 
guy who has to green-light the USMCA, which would create 176,000 
American jobs. No wonder they have a problem in the House. The chairman 
of the Ways and Means Committee literally said that this major trade 
agreement will move forward only if this major Democratic campaign 
contributor gives them permission.
  Well, it appears that even some House Democrats are getting fed up 
with the absurdity. Here is what one of them said yesterday:

       [Trumka] still says we're at the five yard line. . . . So 
     it feels like we've been at the five yard line for a while.

  No kidding. This is the biggest opportunity the House Democrats have 
had in the entirety of their first year in power to do something 
significant and substantive for American families--to actually pass 
something new and real that can become law and strengthen our Nation. 
In other words, the USMCA is House Democrats' final exam for their 
whole first year in power. And unless something turns around very 
quickly, after nearly a year of happy talk and empty promises, their 
leadership seems determined to flunk that exam. All impeachment, all 
the time--and even the most obvious win for American workers and small 
businesses gets blocked. That will be Democrats' progress report if 
USMCA goes nowhere. Obviously, I hope that is not how this story ends.
  Mexico has passed it. Canada is waiting on us. I believe a bipartisan 
majority of the Senate is ready to pass it. Our workers, our job 
creators, and our neighbors are just waiting on Speaker Pelosi. This is 
no time to kill a national victory out of political spite. This is no 
time to outsource your judgment to special interests. The Speaker 
should allow a vote, and the House should send us the USMCA.

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