Ernst says USMCA approval delayed by Democrats

WASHINGTON — Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says there could be a push for the leader of the Senate to bring up a vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement before the end of the year — but she says the timing doesn’t look good.

“The likelihood of that happening is very, very, slim. It is hard to get unanimous consent on a piece of legislation like the USMCA,” Ernst says.  Ernst is a Republican from Red Oak and says Democratic leaders in the House are to blame for delaying action on the trade deal until now.

“Democrats have really backed us into this corner, they’ve orchestrated this,” Ernst says. “…(House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi is offering political cover by moving on the USMCA. But we’ve got a lot of changes that we have not been advised on yet. We’ll have scrutinize those here in the Senate.”

Ernst made her comments during her weekly conference call with reporters.