Senate approves revised North American trade agreement News
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Senate approves revised North American trade agreement

The US Senate approved the revised United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on Thursday by a vote of 89-10.

The goal of USMCA is to expand trade between the US, Mexico and Canada. The bill was approved by the House in December by a 385-41 vote.

The USMCA is the replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), passed in 1993. The USMCA is largely the same text with updates such as revised guidelines for anti-corruption, food safety, online data flows and e-commerce.  Provisions are now included to help identify and stop labor violations. Another component included in the USMCA is higher thresholds for how much of a vehicle must be made in North America to avoid tariffs.

The agreement now will be sent to President Donald Trump’s desk for final approval.

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