U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer speaks during an event to sign an update to the North American Free Trade Agreement, at the national palace in Mexico City, Tuesday, Dec. 10. 2019. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
As U.S. President Donald Trump faces an impeachment trial, U.S. senators overwhelmingly passed a new North American trade agreement that rewrites the rules of trade between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
After a vote of 89-10, the trade deal now goes to Trump for his signature.
Known as the USMCA, the pact will replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, NAFTA, which had removed most barriers between the three North American countries. But Trump and other critics blamed NAFTA for encouraging American companies to relocate manufacturing plants south of the border to take advantage of low-wage Mexican laborers.
Senate approval of USMCA comes a day after Trump signed a new trade agreement with China, easing some of the trade tensions between the two countries.
USMCA already has been ratified by Mexico, and Canada is expected to approve the deal in the coming months.