Ways and Means Chairman Says NAFTA 2.0 Will Need Changes to Win Majority Approval in House
The outgoing chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee expressed no anxiety that it won't be possible to get enough votes in his chamber to pass the new NAFTA next year. Chairman Kevin Brady, R-Texas, who will pass the gavel to ranking member Richard Neal, D-Mass., next year, said, "This isn't the first time we've been in the minority during trade agreements. The Panama, Colombia, South Korea [are] good examples of that," he said in a gaggle with reporters at the Capitol Dec. 19. "I anticipate the Ways and Means Committee will be working to continue to improve the agreement until there's bipartisan support for it."
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When asked by International Trade Today if negotiations will have to be opened again with Mexico and Canada, Brady replied, "It depends what Democrats are going to be seeking for their votes. And at the end of the day, trade is always bipartisan, it will always take both parties finding that common ground. So some of the more extreme asks I anticipate will be left behind. I think the fair ones that can build more support will be incorporated."
He suggested, as many in Congress have (see 1812100024 and 1812040029), that a withdrawal notice would not work to push through the new agreement. "The 'yes' votes for this agreement will come from lawmakers who want not just an improved NAFTA, but they want a seamless one. Where there's not a disruption in these customers, in these supply chains, and selling more American agriculture and technology," he said. "So I think at the end of the day, that desire for a seamless transition to a new agreement is both the smart thing to do for the economy, and where lawmakers will want to be."