Members of Congress are back in their districts this week, and the Chamber Of Commerce is pushing them to speak with constituents about passing the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement before Thanksgiving.
At the World Dairy Expo in Wisconsin, the head of USDA says he remains optimistic USMCA will gain bipartisan support in both chambers.
“People understand it’s that popular, not just in the ag industry. I think it’ll be good for the US economy I think it’ll bring jobs back to the US.” - Sonny Perdue, USDA Agriculture Secretary
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce officials echoed that optimism.
“Our conversations with both Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill and our conversations with the administration lead us to believe that we’re close to a final agreement between House Dems and the White House that can be voted on.” - Neil Bradley, Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
But the Chamber isn’t leaving anything to chance. Their pushing members of Congress to meet with local businesses to hear about the importance of USMCA while home in their districts for a two-week recess. Asked whether a looming impeachment inquiry would disrupt the progress made in the talks between the White House and Democrats so far, Bradley said no. The Chamber is promoting the deal through advertisement in 12 congressional districts today, Bradley says, as well as publicly tying their support in 2020 elections to leadership in support for USMCA.
Bradley says both Pelosi and McCarthy are working in good faith towards a final bipartisan deal, an effort that looks even more critical in light of recent disappointing economic numbers for U.S. manufacturing. He’s confident the deal is on track to be approved by Thanksgiving. A key U.S. manufacturing index from the Institute For Supply Management hit the lowest number since June 2009, marking the second consecutive month of contraction, which Bradley says could signal a recession if trade issues persist.
Report by Sarah Mock
