AFP, Washington :
The US Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to approve a new North American trade pact, handing President Donald Trump a second back-to-back trade win just as his impeachment trial was beginning in Washington.
After a brief debate, lawmakers voted 89-10 in favor of a bill allowing the US-Mexico-Canada agreement to take effect, overhauling trade relations among the three countries.
The USMCA bill faced some opposition – including from Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who said it failed to address the threat of climate change – and Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who complained that it erected barriers to free trade.
Given that the USMCA was negotiated at his instigation, Trump’s signature is not in doubt, however.
In split-screen drama and with the vote scarcely concluded, House lawmakers who will serve as prosecutors in Trump’s trial gathered in the well of the Senate bearing articles of impeachment which were later read aloud to the chamber – setting the historic proceedings in motion.
The second straight day of good news on the trade front offered a welcome boost for the embattled president, who faces a tough re-election fight 10 months from now.
Adoption of the continent-wide agreement comes less than a day after Washington and Beijing reached a separate partial deal, pausing a damaging trade war between the world’s top two economies and letting farmers and businesses breathe a sigh of relief.
Wall Street also welcomed the news as stocks closed at fresh all-time highs for the fifth time in January.
The US Senate on Thursday voted overwhelmingly to approve a new North American trade pact, handing President Donald Trump a second back-to-back trade win just as his impeachment trial was beginning in Washington.
After a brief debate, lawmakers voted 89-10 in favor of a bill allowing the US-Mexico-Canada agreement to take effect, overhauling trade relations among the three countries.
The USMCA bill faced some opposition – including from Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, who said it failed to address the threat of climate change – and Republican Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, who complained that it erected barriers to free trade.
Given that the USMCA was negotiated at his instigation, Trump’s signature is not in doubt, however.
In split-screen drama and with the vote scarcely concluded, House lawmakers who will serve as prosecutors in Trump’s trial gathered in the well of the Senate bearing articles of impeachment which were later read aloud to the chamber – setting the historic proceedings in motion.
The second straight day of good news on the trade front offered a welcome boost for the embattled president, who faces a tough re-election fight 10 months from now.
Adoption of the continent-wide agreement comes less than a day after Washington and Beijing reached a separate partial deal, pausing a damaging trade war between the world’s top two economies and letting farmers and businesses breathe a sigh of relief.
Wall Street also welcomed the news as stocks closed at fresh all-time highs for the fifth time in January.
