A big advantage of President Donald Trump’s pursuit of bilateral trade negotiations like his limited agreement this week with Japan is that it largely avoids the need to run those deals through Washington’s legislative gauntlet.
But Trump’s signature trade accomplishment so far — the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — is an exception that requires congressional approval. And suddenly, it risks being sucked into the maelstrom of an historic impeachment inquiry.
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said Wednesday he remains confident that the fundamentals of the new NAFTA deal are sufficient to rise above today’s toxic political climate.
“It’s not all about politics in Washington, right?,” he said. “On the merits, this is demonstrably good for the people of the United States. And I think, for that reason, it will pass.”
His optimism isn’t unfounded. Several senior House Democrats have denied that Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s move on Trump will distract from their work on USMCA:
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, who leads USMCA and drug price talks, said he won’t let the impeachment process distract from his agenda. Representative Janice Schakowsky, an Illinois Democrat and a member of the USMCA working group, also denied impeachment will affect those efforts. A California Democrat, Jimmy Gomez, even said impeachment might actually help USMCA’s chances — borrowing a line from Game of Thrones that “chaos is a ladder.” Republican Senator Chuck Grassley warned Democrats not to prioritize impeachment proceedings over USMCA: “That would prove they’re more interested in politics and opposing the president at all costs than serving the American people.”
For his part, Trump didn’t sound as convinced as Lighthizer that Democrats can separate politics from the broader economic good.
“One of the biggest trade deals ever made. It’s a fantastic deal for our country. And it’s possible they won’t vote. I mean, I know these people much better than you do,” Trump told Lighthizer after cutting him off. The trade chief has for months been working closely with Democrats to try and get the deal passed.
There’s the chance a president feeling imperilled could raise the stakes. Any rejection of USMCA by the Democratic caucus might revive fears that Trump will formally withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement in order to increase pressure on the House to act.
Trump declined to comment when asked about that strategy at the United Nations General Assembly in New York. About the only thing that remains certain: The unpredictability that has governed this administration’s approach to trade will continue — especially under the threat of impeachment.
Bloomberg.com
