WASHINGTON _ Border-state Democrats want to help President Donald Trump approve a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico _ if they can convince him to remove provisions that would prevent them from delivering on one of their top campaign promises.
House Democrats are pushing legislation to lower prescription drug costs, which they vowed to do during the 2018 elections, by shortening the length of time the government protects some types of brand-name pharmaceuticals from competition.
But Trump's proposal to update the North American Free Trade Agreement, called the United States Mexico Canada Agreement, includes language that would derail those plans by setting longer protections for the same drugs. Congress would not be able to change those limits without violating the rules of the trade deal.
