White House trade adviser Peter Navarro predicted Sunday that the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will pass the Senate as early as Friday.
He said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) will mark up the long-awaited trade deal Tuesday in the Senate Finance Committee. Then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will be able to call it on the floor. With fast-track legislation there is a maximum of 20 hours before the vote.
{mosads}“So, possibly, this week, we could actually do some great people’s business — dairy farmers in Wisconsin will rejoice,” he said. “Auto workers in Detroit, everyone in between, across the 50 states of America.”
Navarro also discussed the upcoming signing of the phase one deal with China scheduled for Jan. 15.
“So, you could have, within the space of a week, leading off 2020, two of the biggest and best trade deals ever signed in American history,” he said.
Starting off the election year with both enacted would be a win for the president. Trump has touted his success with moving forward on the USMCA and phase one of the China deal, saying he is improving the agreements to benefit American workers.
The USMCA passed the House in December after negotiations between the administration and lawmakers. The phase one of the China deal has also been in the works for months, as the trade war between China and the U.S. continues.