Senate approves North American trade agreement

A new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico is headed to President Donald Trump’s desk after passing by a vote of 89-10 in the Senate on Thursday. Trump plans to sign the United States–Mexico-Canada (USMCA) deal, which he finalized last year to follow through on a campaign promise. The agreement aims to move more car production into the United States and reduce the incentive for U.S. companies to relocate factories to Mexico. Mexico has already approved the deal, and Canada is expected to do so in the coming months.

Who voted against it? Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., said the deal would “mean higher prices for American consumers” looking to purchase cars. The biggest holdouts were environmentalists. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said he voted against the agreement “because it does not address climate change, the greatest threat facing the planet.”

Dig deeper: Read Harvest Prude’s 2018 report in The Stew about Republican concerns that the new agreement would push progressive LGBT policies.