DEMS/ELECTION/HOUSE OF REPS/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is set to formally sign a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement in just two weeks — but the Republican loss of the House in the midterms means he’ll need Democratic support to get the deal through Congress next year. Administration officials have expressed optimism they’ll be able to get Democrats on board, but comments from senior party figures at a hearing Thursday [11-15-18] on the new trade deal suggested it will be an uphill battle…He called on the International Trade Commission to determine whether it will bring back jobs, boost wages and cut the trade deficit with Canada and Mexico — as the Trump administration has promised…His comments came at the start of a two-day hearing scheduled for Thursday and Friday by the ITC in Washington. The gathering offers a roadmap to issues lawmakers will consider, including the impact of the renegotiated deal on agriculture, industry and data privacy. Representatives from auto, agriculture, tech and retail, as well as labor and environmental advocacy groups, are scheduled to testify.”
–Katie Lobosco, Democrats signal concerns on NAFTA replacement,” CNN Politics, CNN.com, November 14, 2018 12:16 pm