[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 4 (Wednesday, January 8, 2020)]
[Senate]
[Page S72]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



              United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement

  Mr. President, finally, another priority that I alluded to a moment 
ago that I hope we can get to soon is to pass the USMCA, the United 
States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which will succeed NAFTA and guide our 
trading relationships with Mexico and Canada into the future.
  NAFTA has been a boon for our economy--especially in my State, in 
Texas--but it is time to bring this more than quarter-century-old 
agreement into the 21st century. That is precisely what the USMCA will 
do. It modernizes trade with our northern and southern neighbors and 
lays the foundation for better economies, more jobs, and greater 
prosperity for each of our countries.
  The process of getting that bill across the Senate floor has been 
more than a year in the making, but we are making some progress, as I 
indicated, starting yesterday in the Senate Finance Committee. It was 
reported out with a bipartisan vote of 25 for and 3 against.
  I haven't been shy about expressing my concerns about how this 
process has played out, especially cutting the Senate out of its 
negotiating position under trade promotion authority, but I do believe, 
on net, that this agreement is beneficial and will support it.
  So I look forward to getting an opportunity, presumably once Speaker 
Pelosi sends the Articles of Impeachment over here and it meets its 
expected fate. Nobody I know expects 67 Senators to vote to convict and 
to remove President Trump based on the thin gruel presented by the two 
Articles of Impeachment that were voted on by the House in an 
ultrapartisan manner.
  Once we get past all of that, I hope we can continue along the series 
of wins for our country in 2020, and I, for one, am eager to work on 
that. I hope we will be able to chart a path forward on an impeachment 
trial in the near future so that we can begin focusing on this 
legislation that will help the American people over the next 12 months 
and not squander a minute more than absolutely necessary.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Illinois.