Chamber of Commerce Says Reasonable Deadline for USMCA Passage in House Is by Thanksgiving
Even as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives a nudge to House members by advertising for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement in 12 districts, a top official is expressing confidence that the negotiations are on track. Neil Bradley, the chief policy officer, told reporters Oct. 1, "Our conversations with Democrats and Republicans lead us to believe we are close." He added, "We’ve kind of set a deadline we believe that USMCA should be passed before Thanksgiving. We picked that based off where we thought the progress was in the negotiations."
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Bradley said he hopes that when Congress returns from the current two-week recess, ratifying the trade pact is at the top of the to-do list. The Chamber sent a letter to all House members Oct. 1 encouraging them to talk to local chambers or businesses about the pact, and reminding them that the Chamber will watch for members who come out in favor of the deal. They said again that they noted which 14 Democrats signed a letter asking for a vote on USMCA this fall (see 1909160061 and 1907290040).
Bradley said the Chamber is not worried about Democrats convincing the administration to make changes to the deal that the business community finds unpalatable. "We are confident based on the parameters of the discussions … that we’re going to have an agreement that we support at the end of the day," he said. He also said he doesn't think the impeachment inquiry is going to interfere with the USMCA ratification process.