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(CNN) - The senators of both parties met Thursday morning to approve the main legislative priority of President Donald Trump, the revised North American Free Trade Agreement, in the middle of the process of his political trial.
The new agreement between the United States, Mexico and Canada was overwhelmingly approved in the House in December, and after the Senate vote, it now goes to the desk of President Donald Trump for his signature.
Among other changes, the agreement includes new provisions for digital commerce, implements stricter rules of origin for auto parts and includes new minimum wage requirements for certain workers in the automobile manufacturing sector.
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It was approved with a vote of 89-10. Senator Pat Toomey was the only Republican who voted against. Nine Democrats: Senators Cory Booker, Kirstin Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, Eddie Markey, Tom Reed, Bernie Sanders, Brian Schatz, Chuck Schumer and Sheldon Whitehouse, opposed. Booker initially voted for the agreement before changing his vote to "no" at the end.
The pact was originally signed by the leaders of the three countries in November 2018, but the text was changed after months of negotiations between the Trump administration and the House Democrats. The new version enshrined additional labor protections and eliminated the controversial patent protections for biological medicines.
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The final approval of the bill in the Senate marks the culmination of years of hard negotiations and work. Throughout the process, many legislators and lobbyists doubted that ratification would ever occur, especially in a divided Congress. Now he will go to the president's desk to be signed.
Canada Mexico T-MEC
