House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that she would like to see the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement pass the House this year, Politico reports.
The Pass USMCA Coalition, an alliance advocating for swift passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, applauded Congress' movement towards ratification.
"We're thrilled to see lawmakers from both sides of the aisle speaking up in favor of USMCA," said Pass USMCA Executive Director Rick Dearborn. "We've worked tirelessly over the past year to show Congress that USMCA is a truly bipartisan deal that benefits American workers, strengthens the economy, and drives innovation."
"We've always maintained that the agreement signed by all three countries last fall was a good deal,” added Pass USMCA Honorary Co-Chairman Joe Crowley. “And now a growing number of Congressional members are saying so too."
House Democrats have negotiated with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on the deal as they push for changes to the deal's labor and environmental standards, CNBC reports.
The Trump administration says USMCA modernizes NAFTA into a 21st century trade agreement. NAFTA has been in effect between the three nations for 24 years.
Minnesota Democrat Dean Phillips said they are getting closer to passing the trade deal.
“I can tell you, I am amongst a lot of Democrats who want to see it brought to the floor before the end of the year,” Phillips told The Hill.