The White House triggered a process Thursday that would allow President Trump to submit his new trade deal with Canada and Mexico to Congress after 30 days, three people briefed on the planning said, a direct challenge to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who had warned against such a step.
The decision to send the draft “Statement of Administrative Action” to Congress marks a milestone in Trump’s push to overhaul the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, but it heightens tensions with Democrats who have said they need more time to review the deal and work for changes.
Pelosi directly cautioned U.S. Trade Representative Robert E. Lighthizer not to send the draft report until Democrats have spent more time working with the White House on the plan. And on Thursday, she attacked the White House’s decision to move ahead.