On Thursday the House of Representatives passed the United States ? Mexico ? Canada Agreement (USMCA) by a vote of 385-41. Now, the bill is headed to the Senate. It still has a bumpy ride to get to the floor. Not because of a lack of support, but moreover a matter of timing.
After the House made its vote on the USMCA, it adjourned for the Holiday break. The Senate will not be far behind them and Congress will go home for the two weeks of the holiday break. After that, there is the looming impeachment trial of President Donald Trump in the Senate. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst told me timing has not been on their side for getting USMCA to the Senate floor.
In an unexpected turn, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she was going to hang on to the articles of impeachment until she could be certain there would be a fair trial in the Senate. Senator Ernst says the longer Pelosi holds on to those articles, the better chance they could have at moving on USMCA when they get back from the holiday break. Either way, Ernst says the Senate is at the mercy of the Speaker of the House and what she sends them first.
The Senate Finance Committee is chaired by Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley. Ernst says she feels confident Grassley and the rest of the committee would move the bill quickly to the floor if the opportunity arises.
Senator Ernst had a blunt message for Speaker Pelosi about USMCA and the Articles of Impeachment.
To paraphrase age-old barnyard adage about the chicken and egg: the Senate schedule in January comes down to, ?What comes first? The Impeachment or the Trade??
