USMCA Working Group Member Says USTR a Bit Evasive on Changes Administration Can Make

Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a member of the House working group negotiating with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, said the second meeting, held the morning of July 11, was interesting, like the first. Schakowsky, D-Ill., whose area of interest in the group is the provision for biologic drug makers, said that topic was covered at the first meeting, before the Fourth of July break.

"It hasn't gelled yet in terms of what changes we're going to get," she said in a brief hallway interview with International Trade Today. When asked if Lighthizer responds when Democrats put forth a specific proposal on how they want the agreement changed, she said, "yes and no. He's good! But he's also [saying]: 'At some point this has to end.' We get that. But we also want some definitive answers about changes."

Schakowsky said she doesn't know how negotiations might continue -- or whether they would pause -- during the August recess if the details haven't been worked out before then.