Pelosi Says She's Optimistic House Will Be Able to Proceed on USMCA

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she's optimistic the administration and trading partners will be able to reach agreement on enforceability that will allow the House to proceed with a vote. Pelosi, speaking at a press conference Oct. 17, said the working group is "making progress every day." She also said that the agreement has to be respectful of global agreements on the environment, and she hopes the provisions on biologics can be resolved to the satisfaction of Democrats. "That's a very big issue in our caucus," she said.

Pelosi was asked how Democrats can counteract Republicans' message that they're blocking ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement because Democrats are obsessed with impeachment. She said that's a misrepresentation, but that the confidentiality of the negotiations between the working group and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer also make it difficult to show how much progress is being made. "These negotiations are not in the public domain. I can't even share it with members. Even I have a hard time getting it from time to time," she said.