House Democrats Say Bilateral NAFTA Talks Don't Comply With Fast Track

If U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer intends to close a deal with Mexico and not Canada, he cannot get congressional approval for such a treaty without full consultation and explanation first, according to a letter sent to him by four Democrats on July 30. According to Lighthizer's testimony last week, he still intends to pursue a trilateral NAFTA, but to get the Mexico-U.S. side done first in order to bring pressure on Canada to compromise. The letter says a bilateral deal would be a "fundamentally different agreement" and "would present different economic opportunities on a different scale and require different trade-offs." The letter was led by Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., and included Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis., former Ways and Means Committee Chairman Sander Levin, D-Mich., and Rep. Brian Higgins, D-N.Y.