Rep. Richard Neal Calls for Labor Reform Guarantees in Mexico Before USMCA Ratification in the House

After the meeting between Andrés Manuel López Obrador and a group of U.S. lawmakers to discuss the future of the USMCA trade agreement, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said the negotiations enter a "decisive phase," while the U.S. delegation stated that they still expect to see guarantees that Mexico's labor reform will be effective.

This has been one of the central demands made by Congress Democrats for the ratification of the agreement between Mexico, the United States, and Canada. Time is running out this year and the ratification process could be affected by the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

A statement from the House of Representatives described the meeting as "productive," focusing on the analysis of the labor reform. The group, headed by the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee Richard Neal, assessed the Mexican government's compliance with the promised reforms.

The meeting was not only with president López Obrador. Also in attendance was Secretary of Foreign Affairs Marcelo Ebrard, Secretary of Labor Luisa Maria Alcalde, and the head of the Treasury Arturo Herrera, with whom they examined the proposed budget and the funds allocated to implement the recently approved labor reform.

"Our meeting with President López Obrador shed more light on the Mexican government's desire and intentions to carry out its labor reform, but the United States needs to see those assurances put into practice," Neal said.

Marcelo Ebrard said that the meeting was "a relevant progress" for the agreement. He told Reuters that Mexico made it clear that "one of the central objectives of the AMLO administration has been the betterment of working conditions for the Mexican people.

Undersecretary Jesus Seade added in his Twitter account: "This visit and its follow-up in the coming days will bring us closer to the early bipartisan approval of the treaty in the United States.