NAFTA Renegotiations Start; House Democrats Urge USTR Transparency
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said a reworked NAFTA should result in updated customs procedures, in a statement as the first round of renegotiations began on Aug. 16. More specifically, the deal would benefit from verified -- not “deemed” -- country-of-origin requirements, labor provisions in the core text that are “as strong as possible,” and dispute settlement provisions that “respect our sovereignty and our democratic processes,” Lighthizer said. He added that the U.S. “cannot ignore the huge trade deficits, the lost manufacturing jobs, the businesses that have closed or moved” because of incentives in the current agreement. Lighthizer said President Donald Trump isn’t interested in merely “tweaking” provisions, and that the administration believes the deal needs “major improvement.” A trade lobbyist said the first round of talks doesn't include industry stakeholders.
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Fifty-two House Democrats signed on to a letter led by House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee ranking member Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., and Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., urging Lighthizer to ensure his agency is transparent during the renegotiations. The lawmakers reiterated Democrats' calls for greater and more convenient congressional staff access to the negotiating text (see 1708040031), in contrast with Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, which required non-trade committee lawmakers to be present whenever their personal staffers viewed the TPP text.