President Trump and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) have largely held a truce on trade this week as they celebrate a new deal with Mexico and Canada.
But not far in the background, many Republicans are smarting.
Republican senators and House members, including staffers of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.)’s and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R., Texas), have contacted the White House to complain about its handling of the deal, according to a senior White House official. High ranking officials in the White House are also irritated at U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer for keeping House Democrats and Mexico City more informed than colleagues in his own administration.
“It’s unprecedented and it’s a bad practice and I don’t think the Senate should just quietly agree to be jammed,” Sen. John Cornyn (R., Texas), who said he expressed his displeasure to Mr. Lighthizer. “It sure is a lousy way to treat the Senate.”
Still, many senators expect the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, will pass with little trouble and with heavy Republican support. But the Senate now isn’t likely to take up a vote until January or February, a delay USTR considers a sign of Mr. McConnell’s displeasure, according to the White House official.
Mr. McConnell’s spokesman countered that under trade promotion authority, which allows the White House to negotiate deals, the Senate must hold a hearing and debate the agreement in the Senate, a move that will be complicated by a potential impeachment vote in the Senate.
Mr. Lighthizer rushed to the Capitol on Thursday for two meetings with Republican senators, including one over a lunch of grilled bell pepper and steak fajitas. The briefing was set for next week but was changed when Democrats struck a deal, according to a GOP aide. Mr. Lighthizer also briefed some Republicans by telephone before the deal was announced by Mrs. Pelosi.
"We do not know everything yet and anybody that suggests that they've read everything is probably not quite up to speed," said Sen. Mike Rounds (R., S.D.), who added that he planned to support the deal because provisions helping the agriculture and dairy industries will help his state.
"They are mad" about not being read-in to the deal early, a Senate GOP aide said.
For months Republicans have hammered Democrats for not bringing the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico to the floor in the House. But they were largely cut out of negotiations as the administration worked with Democrats and Mexico City to negotiate changes that would entice enough support from House Democrats to bring a vote and get it passed.
The result: many GOP lawmakers are still unaware what the details in the trade agreement they have committed to support several days after Mrs. Pelosi announced a deal. And they are mad she was able to claim a victory, touting Democrats’ ability to get the Trump administration to make changes she says will help workers and unions.
Most of the anger is over optics and messaging, but some Republicans are also upset about a successful push by Democrats to eliminate intellectual-property protections for biologic drugs in the deal. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has now rejected USMCA, saying the change “removes vital protections for innovators.”
"There’s rumors out there that have lessened Republican enthusiasm for it, but I don’t feel like it’s going to be big enough to stop us from getting it passed,” Sen. Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa) said Tuesday in a call with reporters. “Republicans have to realize that the House of Representatives controls half of the Congress, and there has to be some accommodation as a result of the last election."
—Lindsay Wise and William Mauldin contributed to this report.
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