Following a landslide vote to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) in the House last week, the trade deal heads to the Senate. A vote, expected in January, could come early in the month, pending how the impeachment articles are handled.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week elected to hang on the impeachment documents, rather than send them off immediately to the Senate. Pending on how long she chooses to hold them, the action could clear a window for the Senate to consider USMCA.
Senate Finance Chair Chuck Grassley Friday announced his committee intends to hold a markup hearing on January 7, 2020, based on the expectation that the Senate will have received the legislation beforehand from the House of Representatives. Grassley says, “This markup will move us closer to ratifying USMCA in early 2020.
Senate leadership expects they could quickly consider and pass the agreement within a couple of days. However, if the Senate must start the year with impeachment trials, then a vote will come near the end of January, following the hearings.
Source: National Association of Farm Broadcasters