Democratic candidates running for president were split on supporting the updated North American Free Trade Agreement negotiated between President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden says voters should choose who nominates Supreme Court justice Trump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Pelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act MORE and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Nancy PelosiPelosi: Trump Supreme Court pick 'threatens' Affordable Care Act Sunday shows preview: Lawmakers prepare for SCOTUS confirmation hearings before election Will Democrats attempt to pack the Supreme Court again? MORE (D-Calif.) during Thursday night's debate.

“This is a modest improvement over what we have right now,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersTrump, Biden will not shake hands at first debate due to COVID-19 Sanders tells Maher 'there will be a number of plans' to remove Trump if he loses Sirota reacts to report of harassment, doxing by Harris supporters MORE (I-Vt.), whose opposition to trade deals were a hallmark of his 2016 run for the Democratic nomination.

“It is not going to stop outsourcing, it is not going to stop corporations from moving to Mexico, where workers make $2 an hour,” he added. The deal does require increased Mexican wages in certain sectors.

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Sen. Amy Klobuchar Amy Klobuchar3 reasons why Biden is misreading the politics of court packing Social media platforms put muscle into National Voter Registration Day Battle lines drawn on precedent in Supreme Court fight MORE (D-Minn.) said the deal was a significant improvement over both the existing NAFTA and the original version of the deal Trump negotiated last year.

“I believe that we have a change with this agreement,” she said, noting that it had the support of trade skeptics such as Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown Sherrod Campbell BrownMnuchin says he and Pelosi have agreed to restart coronavirus stimulus talks Harris faces pivotal moment with Supreme Court battle Remote work poses state tax challenges MORE (D), who had not voted for previous trade deals.

Most of the customers for American goods, she said, were outside the country, and newly negotiated enforceability mechanisms on labor and environmental measures, plus changes on pharmaceutical policy, had made the deal worthwhile.

“I would not have voted for the agreement that President Trump put forward,” she said.

The House overwhelmingly passed the update trade deal, called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, just hours before the debate, 385-41. The Senate is expected to approve it in January.