WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th August, 2018) President Donald Trump, in negotiating a revised trade deal with Mexico to alter provisions in the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), failed to comply with a provision of a 2015 law requiring him to consult with chairs and ranking minority members of relevant committees in the US House of Representatives, Congressman Bill Pascrell wrote in a letter on Tuesday.
"As you know, Section 104 of the Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (TPA) requires the president, during trade negotiations, to 'consult closely and on a timely basis with, and keep fully appraised of the negotiations, the House Advisory Group on Negotiations [HAGON],'" Pascrell wrote in a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady.
The letter asked Brady to set up a meeting between Trump administration officials and HAGON members, noting that the two groups had not met since May 2017 before the NAFTA renegotiations began.
The letter from Pascrell, a senior Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, came a day after Trump announced a tentative agreement with Mexico to wrap up the NAFTA renegotiations as early as this week, with or without Canada's participation.
"The failure of the administration to adequately consult during the course of the NAFTA renegotiation, including potentially as the administration is required by TPA [trade promotion authority], coupled with the increasingly chaotic Trump administration trade policy, continues to raise serious concerns for not just members of the HAGON and Congress, but American workers, businesses and farmers," the letter said.
The revised agreement with Mexico reportedly changes rules for auto trade that are intended to bring car manufacturing plants back to the United States.
