House Democrats, USTR nearing deal to pass modified USMCA agreement: WSJ

House Democrats and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer are nearing a deal to pass a revised version of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the Wall Street Journal reported late on Sunday, citing people familiar with the matter.

“We are very, very, very close to completion,” the newspaper cited an administration official as saying, who suggested the deal could be worked out by Christmas.

The Democrats and US President Donald Trump’s trade negotiator have differences on enforcement of labor rules, according to the report.

The Democrats are reviewing a proposal from the office of the US Trade Representative, the Journal reported.

The USMCA, signed about a year ago, must be passed by lawmakers in all three countries, including the US Congress.

Democratic lawmakers have held up US ratification over concerns about how labor and environmental provisions would be enforced.

Canada has said it is waiting on ratification in order to move in tandem with the United States. Mexican lawmakers earlier this year approved the deal.