As expected, the U.S. Senate will not consider the new North American Free Trade Agreement, now known as the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, in 2018. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told Bloomberg News a vote on the updated agreement would not happen until after the New Year, saying “My trade advisers say you can’t possibly do it under the various steps that we have to go through.” However, McConnel said, “There’s no question this will be on the top of the agenda” next year. While a vote is unlikely this year, some Republican Senators, including Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, have commented that a vote before the end of this year on the updated agreement would avoid any potential political conflict next year.
