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THE BIG DEAL--Pelosi announces support for new Trump NAFTA deal: House Democrats on Tuesday announced an agreement with President Trump
Donald John TrumpTrump says inviting Russia to G7 'a question of common sense' Pentagon chief does not support invoking Insurrection Act Dershowitz: Does President Trump have power to declare martial law? MORE on a historic deal revamping the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico, setting up a full vote as early as next week.
"This is a day we've all been working to and working for on the path to yes," Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy PelosiTrump congratulates Steve King challenger on GOP primary win The Hill's Morning Report - Protesters' defiance met with calls to listen Calls for police reform sparks divisions in Congress MORE (D-Calif.) said at a news conference to tout the deal that was held just an hour after she appeared before the cameras to announce two articles of impeachment against Trump.
- Pelosi said she hoped to pass the legislation before Christmas but would give time for Democrats to read and weigh in on the final negotiated deal, called the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).
- But Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
Addison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellTrump congratulates Steve King challenger on GOP primary win The Hill's Morning Report - Protesters' defiance met with calls to listen Republicans turning against new round of ,200 rebate checks MORE (R-Ky.), who has pressed for Democrats in the House to take action, said his chamber will not take up the deal until after an impeachment trial.
The Hill's Niv Elis and I tell you more about the road ahead here.
Why Trump wants it: Passage of the trade deal would provide a significant legislative win for Trump that might only be topped by his tax-cut bill, which was approved by a GOP-held House in 2017.
- Trump's opposition to NAFTA was key to his 2016 victories in Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania--four industrial states where the deal cost thousands of manufacturing jobs.
- Successfully revising NAFTA could boost Trump's standing in those states as the president attempts to reassemble his winning coalition in 2020.
Why Pelosi wants it: Pelosi is also casting the trade pact as a political win that shows her caucus can legislate even as they move toward just the third impeachment of a U.S. president in history.
- Republicans have sought to make the case that Democrats are obsessed only with impeachment, and they have frequently brought up the trade deal in that context.
- The Speaker also was careful to highlight changes to the originally negotiated text that helped win an endorsement from the AFL-CIO, and that underscored her argument that it was a win for progressives.
Reactions:
- "It is long overdue for Congress to take up the USMCA, and we expect to push hard on passing the implementing bill before the end of the year." -- White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham
Stephanie GrishamPence names new press secretary McEnany: Prayer 'made a lot of difference' in 2016 election McEnany stamps her brand on White House press operation MORE. - "These were intense, argumentative, angry negotiations. I mean, this got hot on a number of occasions."-- Rep. Richard Neal
Richard Edmund NealExpanding tax credit for businesses retaining workers gains bipartisan support House Democrats press Treasury on debit cards used for coronavirus relief payments House Democrats' bill would create a second round of direct coronavirus relief payments MORE (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. - "Trump was never for the strong labor enforcement rules and standards, so we had to pull him kicking and screaming." -- Sen. Sherrod Brown
Sherrod Campbell BrownHillicon Valley: Twitter flags Trump tweet for 'glorifying violence' | Cruz calls for criminal investigation into Twitter over alleged sanctions violations | Senators urge FTC to investigate TikTok child privacy issues Democratic senators urge regulators to investigate Instacart over 'tip baiting' Senate Dems press DOJ over coronavirus safety precautions in juvenile detention centers MORE (D-Ohio). - "There are serious problems with this agreement... it's not going to do anything for economic growth." --Sen. Pat Toomey
Patrick (Pat) Joseph ToomeyGOP senators push for quick, partial reopening of economy NSA improperly collected US phone records in October, new documents show Overnight Defense: Pick for South Korean envoy splits with Trump on nuclear threat | McCain blasts move to suspend Korean military exercises | White House defends Trump salute of North Korean general MORE (R-Pa.) - "We haven't seen the writing of how we're going to stop the hemorrhaging of jobs to Mexico." -- Rep. Bill Pascrell
William (Bill) James PascrellMultiple N.J. homes for veterans see dozens of coronavirus-related deaths Washington Post fact-checks Kimmel on edited Pence video: 'Certainly a phony tale' NY, NJ lawmakers call for more aid to help fight coronavirus MORE (D-N.J.). - "We should have done this a long time ago." -- Rep. Roger Williams
John (Roger) Roger WilliamsLawmakers shame ex-Wells Fargo directors for failing to reboot bank Democrats 'frustrated' by administration's coronavirus response after closed-door briefing Republicans sense momentum after impeachment win MORE (R-Texas).
What comes next: Trump is eager to pass USMCA before the end of the year, and House leaders are mulling ways to expedite the deal amid pending votes on impeachment and government funding.
They are still deliberating whether to use a fast-track process known as trade promotion authority (TPA), which has additional requirements, and whether to mark up the bill in committee.
But McConnell's hesitance to take up USMCA until after impeachment could set up a fight with the White House, which insists on passing the deal before the end of the year.
Read more:
- Democrats declare victory for eliminating drug protections in trade deal
- Tech legal shield included in USMCA despite late Pelosi push
ON TAP TOMORROW:
- Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos
Elizabeth (Betsy) Dee DeVosGOP lawmaker wants probe of UPenn's Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement Taking the guesswork out of financial aid appeals Trump vetoes measure aimed at blocking DeVos student loan rule MORE testifies before the House Education and Labor Committee on the implementation of the borrower defense rule, 9 a.m.
LEADING THE DAY
Lawmakers push spending deadline to Thursday: Lawmakers broke up their meeting on Tuesday with no deal to fund the government as the clock ticked toward a Dec. 20 deadline.
Appropriators face a long series of obstacles to reach a deal and prevent either having to pass a short-term spending measure to keep the government open, or seeing federal agencies shut down.
House Appropriations Chairwoman Nita Lowey
Nita Sue LoweyJulián Castro launches PAC to support progressive candidates Lawmakers call on VA to remove swastikas from headstones in veterans cemeteries House Democrats object to Trump sending ventilators to Russia MORE (D-N.Y.) and Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby
Richard Craig ShelbyHouse pushes back schedule to pass spending bills Top Republican says Trump greenlit budget fix for VA health care GOP senators not tested for coronavirus before lunch with Trump MORE (R-Ala.) had hoped to button up a deal by Sunday, and kept working into the week on a slew of tough issues that include President Trump's proposed border wall, immigration enforcement, abortion-related issues, and Trump's use of emergency powers to reprogram money toward the wall.
Niv Elis tells us more about what happened at the meeting here.
House panel to consider temporarily repealing SALT deduction cap: The House Ways and Means Committee is scheduled on Wednesday to consider legislation that would temporarily repeal a portion of Republicans' 2017 tax-cut law, which is disliked by politicians in Democratic-leaning high-tax states.
The bill -- offered by Reps. Tom Suozzi (D-N.Y.), Mike Thompson
Charles (Mike) Michael ThompsonGun control group rolls out House endorsements The Hill's Coronavirus Report: Chef José Andrés says most political leaders today are not acting with urgency; Dems crafting 'Rooseveltian' relief package Business interruption insurance bills will help small businesses through national emergencies MORE (D-Calif.) and Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) -- would repeal the $10,000 cap on the state and local tax (SALT) deduction for 2020 and 2021. It also would raise the cap to $20,000 for married couples in 2019.
- To offset the costs of the changes to the SALT deduction cap, the bill would raise the top individual income tax rate from 37 percent to its pre-GOP tax law level of 39.6 percent, and it would also lower the income threshold for where that top bracket starts.
- The proposed changes would be in effect from 2020 through 2025, after which time the individual tax changes in the 2017 law, including the SALT deduction cap, expire.
The Hill's Naomi Jagoda has more here.
GOOD TO KNOW
- The New York Times: "A U.S. offensive against the World Trade Organization will effectively shutter the group's system for settling disputes, at a time it's most needed."
- Progressive leaders in the House said Tuesday they are hoping to avoid a standoff with Democratic leaders following a meeting with Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on her sweeping bill to lower drug prices.
