CANADA/CONGRESS/MEXICO/NAFTA/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump just celebrated the signing of a new North American trade pact with Canada and Mexico, but he faces a huge roadblock in Congress over U.S. tariffs that are still in place on steel and aluminum imports from the two U.S. neighbors. The two nations are still working to negotiate a deal with the Trump administration so that they can be exempt from the duties. In the meantime, American industries will continue to be hurt by Mexico and Canada’s retaliatory duties on more than $15 billion worth of U.S. goods…Trump has stepped up his pressure on getting the new agreement turned into law after he told reporters on Saturday that he would formally notify Congress of his intention to withdraw from NAFTA in six months. Such a move could force lawmakers to act on the new deal, which is already expected to face a fiery debate from lawmakers over concerns about certain provisions related to labor and LGBTQ rights. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have publicly criticized the administration’s continued tariffs on the two U.S. allies, arguing the detrimental effects both the duties and retaliatory tariffs have on U.S. manufacturers, consumers and workers.”
–Sabrina Rodriguez, “Trump’s new NAFTA has hard fight in Congress while steel tariffs remain,” Politico, December 6, 2018 5:11 am