USMCA could bring 500,000 more U.S. jobs, Secretary of Labor says

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Nexstar) — Right before jetting home for the holidays, the House of Representatives passed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement 385 to 41.

Secretary of Labor Eugene Scalia says getting the USMCA through the house was the biggest hurdle.

House Democrats held up the agreement and negotiated changes on workers’ rights, the environment, and prescription drug prices.

Scalia says the Labor Department expects the USMCA trade deal to bring as many as 500,000 more jobs to the U.S.

“What this does is frees up American businesses to engage in more trade, invest in more workers,” says Scalia.

But Senate approval won’t come until the new year.

Mitch McConnell says passing the USMCA is one of the Senate’s top priorities when it kicks off the second session — and President Trump says he’s ready to sign it.