Mexican official says he’s ‘very satisfied’ with USMCA after recent concern

Jesús Seade, Mexico’s deputy foreign minister for North America, said Monday that he is “very satisfied” with the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) after last-minute talks between the two countries, The Washington Post reported.

The deputy foreign minister expressed concern over the weekend that the U.S. had added a provision to allow U.S. labor attaches to monitor factories in Mexico. But Seade said the dispute was cleared up after meeting with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Monday.

The trade deal currently will allow an independent panel chosen by both countries to probe allegations of employee mistreatment at factories, according to the Post. Lighthizer released a letter to Seade that said the attaches would not be “labor inspectors.”

Seade told reporters the trade representative’s letter “absolutely” ended the controversy.

“This is very categorical: These personnel will not be labor inspectors,” he said.

The deputy foreign minister had previously denounced the deal released last week after saying he was not consulted about the controversial attaches.

The USMCA is designed to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement that President Trump has condemned. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Trump reached an agreement on the long-awaited trade deal last week. 

The White House sent legislation to the House for approval Friday, and both the House and Senate are expected to pass the new deal.