Mexico fumes over labor enforcement details in trade bill

Mexico's top trade negotiator plans to return to Washington on Sunday to express his outrage over language in the U.S. bill to implement the new North American trade agreement, potentially complicating the House's plans to pass the USMCA this week. Mexico was blindsided by the inclusion of language in the implementing bill that would allow the Trump administration to deploy full-time diplomats to Mexico to make sure the country is upholding labor standards, Jesús Seade, Mexico’s undersecretary for North America, said Saturday. Seade said he will return to Washington on Sunday to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. Those provisions in the U.S. bill for the new North American trade pact are “unnecessary and redundant,” Seade said at a press conference in Mexico City. Story Continued Below Seade’s office confirmed to POLITICO that he is scheduled to meet Lighthizer on Monday. He will also meet with Democratic lawmakers to discuss the issue. “For obvious reasons, Mexico was not consulted on this. We are not in agreement,” Seade said at the press conference. “This is not the fruit of our bilateral negotiation.” "This has effects within our country and we should have been consulted," Seade said, adding that it's standard for a foreign country to be made aware about plans to deploy diplomats to its country. In a letter to Lighthizer ahead of the trip, Seade threatened that Mexico would evaluate its options to establish "reciprocal mechanisms in defense of our country's interests." Mexico quickly ratified the proposed changes to the deal on Thursday night before the Trump administration delivered the 239-page implementing bill to Capitol Hill on Friday afternoon. Senior House Democrats expect a vote on the deal could come Thursday, the day after the chamber is expected to vote on impeachment and the day before members leave on their holiday recess...MORE

This is part of the concessions that Trump gave to the Democrats and the Unions.  .