Several stakeholders, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, had called for a vote before the August recess.
Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, on Tuesday said he would be open to a congressional vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the fall, Politico reported Wednesday.
Grassley (pictured) earlier this summer said he hoped Congress could vote on the agreement before its August recess, which the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and others have called for.
House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., has said he doesn’t believe a House vote can occur before recess and has left open the possibility that his subcommittee could advance USMCA implementing legislation this fall.
According to Politico, Grassley on Tuesday said “we can quickly pass” USMCA legislation after the House approves the bill, adding that his preference is for Congress to vote on it before August but that fall is “doable.”
During CNBC’s Capital Exchange event in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, National Economic Council Director Larry Kudlow noted that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer has said that the White House won’t submit USMCA implementing legislation for congressional consideration until House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., gives the green light.
“The two of them are working rather well together,” Kudlow said. “I think the outcome’s going to be very positive.”
