In her confirmation hearing, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai stated that “trade is like any other tool in our domestic or foreign policy. It is a means to create more hope and opportunity.” With this in mind, President Biden has made clear that trade must improve wages and create higher-paying jobs for all Americans as he focuses on controlling COVID-19, restoring economic growth and employment, and expanding opportunity by investing in education, R&D, and infrastructure. In this respect, there is no more important regional trade agreement for the U.S.

“A modernized U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade pact took effect [last] Wednesday… The [USMCA] includes tighter North American content rules for autos, new protections for intellectual property, prohibitions against currency manipulation and new rules on digital commerce that did not exist when NAFTA launched in 1994.” (Reuters)

“A push by Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) for a historic Senate vote on whether the U.S. should withdraw from the World Trade Organization appears to have been scuttled [last week] by a new parliamentarian ruling.” (Politico)

President Trump grinned and gave a thumbs up as he strutted to the South Lawn of the White House on Wednesday, hoping to shift public attention from his Senate impeachment trial to the signing of a long-promised trade deal with Mexico and Canada.

But even as he made good on his 2016 campaign pledge to replace NAFTA — once Canada ratifies the deal — he kept bringing up impeachment.

President Donald Trump used a signing ceremony for a new North American trade agreement Wednesday to praise Republicans who have defended him during his impeachment trial – and inviting half the sitting GOP senators who are hearing his case.

With the full Senate meeting just hours later during a critical new phase of his impeachment trial, Trump made no effort to mask the power play he and his advisors orchestrated.

Congressional Democrats on Wednesday slammed President Trump for excluding them from a signing ceremony for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), an agreement for which they achieved significant changes and won union support.

"Perhaps we were not invited to today’s event on the South Lawn because our presence would be a prominent reminder of our critical leadership in achieving this deal," said Rep. Richard Neal (D-Mass.), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee.

A bipartisan majority in the Senate approved the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on Thursday, clearing the way for President Donald Trump’s signature.

The Senate voted 89 to 10 for USMCA, an updated version of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

The Senate on Thursday approved the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement trade deal, passing the bill on for final signature by President Trump, reports NBC News.

The USMCA replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, the trade pact the three nations have adhered to since 1994. The new deal was passed in an 89-10 vote. Trump, who has pushed for the USMCA, is expected to sign the deal, leaving only Canada to approve the agreement before it takes effect.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly approved the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, sending the pact to President Donald Trump for signature just a day after he inked a high-profile trade deal with China.

Approved just as the chamber is preparing for Trump’s impeachment trial, senators voted 89 to 10 to pass the deal, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump has repeatedly slammed NAFTA, blaming the 26-year-old pact for sending American jobs abroad, and had threatened to pull the U.S. out of that three-way agreement absent any changes.

House Democrats dealt a symbolic blow to Republicans’ tax code overhaul Thursday on the two-year anniversary of that law’s passage.

On a mostly party-line vote of 218-206, the House passed a bill that would make good on a top Democratic tax priority: lifting a $10,000 limit on state and local tax deductions, known as SALT. It was amended to prevent households earning more than $100 million from claiming unlimited deductions, however, after a procedural motion offered by Republicans won enough bipartisan support.