Capitol Report: Sanders says he won’t vote for USMCA despite ‘modest improvement’ it makes

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Associated Press

Sen. Bernie Sanders sees a ‘modest improvement’ in the new U.S.-Canada-Mexico Agreement — but still won’t vote for it.

Bernie Sanders said Thursday he won’t back the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement when it comes to the Senate for a vote, but called it a “modest improvement” over what’s now in place.

Debating his fellow Democratic presidential hopefuls in Los Angeles, the Vermont senator said that in his view, the deal that passed the House of Representatives earlier in the day won’t stop outsourcing of jobs and falls short on the issue of climate change.

Sanders’ statement came after a strong bipartisan House vote on the legislation, which Democrats negotiated intensely with the Trump administration. President Donald Trump strongly supported the deal to replace Nafta.

Now read: ‘Outdated’ Nafta one step away from demise after House passes new trade deal with Canada, Mexico.

As MarketWatch reported, the House-passed bill united not only Democrats and Republicans, but interest groups such as the Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO that often line up on opposite sides. A Senate vote is expected in the new year.

Fellow senator and Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar, meanwhile, said she would vote for the USMCA. She called it “much better than the one originally proposed,” in a nod to provisions added to boost labor and environmental standards.

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