[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 198 (Wednesday, December 11, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Page S6975]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



              United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement

  Mr. President, on trade, I was predicting on Monday that we would get 
to the USMCA before the end of the year. I was pleased on Tuesday when 
it was announced that we had an agreement between the House and the 
administration.
  The votes had been there for a long time to pass this, but the House 
had to pass it first. So it is important to understand that the 
election has consequences. Speaker Pelosi got to decide and got to do 
some final negotiation, but trade is important.
  Trade policy, tax policy, and regulatory policy are the three Federal 
policies that make a difference in how competitive we are and how 
strong our economy is. Certainly, when you have our No. 1 and 2 trading 
partners--Mexico, our No. 1 trading partner, and Canada, our No. 2 
trading partner--involved, clearly, when they are the only two 
countries that we share a border with in the continental United States, 
for the neighborhood to do well, it is important.
  What has happened in Mexico since NAFTA is incredible. What has 
happened in the United States in a positive way is also incredible. So, 
hopefully, we will see the continuation of the commitment to have a 
vote in the House this year and a vote in the Senate as soon as we meet 
the deadlines the law requires--the waiting periods--once we get a bill 
in the Senate. A lot of people are going to be relieved to know that 
there is more certainty about that.