USMCA Easily Clears Senate Finance Committee

The Senate Finance Committee approved the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement Tuesday in an overwhelming, bipartisan vote:

Committee chairman Chuck Grassley says he predicts near-unanimous passage in the Senate, following the House’s 385-41 vote last month. Republican Pat Roberts of Kansas said during the hearing that farmers in his state have waited long enough.

Just two Republicans and one Democrat opposed USMCA in committee on environmental or process grounds. However, before USMCA can come up for a floor vote in the Senate, additional committees including commerce, environment, and foreign relations, could conduct their own hearings. And the entire process can still come to a halt if articles of impeachment are transmitted from the House, resulting in the Senate switching gears to holding a trial.