Trump to sign updated NAFTA pact in large White House ceremony, did not invite House Democrats

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
(Image credit: Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

President Trump plans to sign the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade pact on Wednesday in a White House ceremony with representatives from Canada and Mexico and about 400 other guests. But the White House declined to invite any of the House Democrats who helped Trump secure his biggest trade deal. Mexico's parliament has ratified the deal, which replaces the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), as has the U.S. Congress, but Canada still needs to approve it before it takes effect, likely in a few months. This is the latest high-profile event Trump has held during his Senate impeachment trial.

"The White House hasn't invited House Democrats to their USMCA signing ceremony," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-Calif.) spokesman Henry Connelly. "But we'll be well represented in the huge changes to the original USMCA draft that Democrats wrested out of the administration on labor, prescription drugs, environment, and enforcement mechanisms."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.