House Democrats are expressing optimism as they begin what could be the final stage of negotiations to approve the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, paving the way to vote on President Donald Trump’s top legislative priority.

The prices U.S. producers get for their exports in Latin America and Canada rose this year, relative to the cost of goods imported to the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics said March 21. At the same time, prices for American-made goods sold in China and Japan fell.

Manatee County, Fla., tomato farmer Gary Reeder says he has seen the county’s tomato industry “basically cut in half” during his lifetime. Reeder says Florida tomato farmers struggle to compete with their counterparts in Mexico.

WASHINGTON — Officials representing the United States, Canada and Mexico expressed support for advancing the treaty that is meant to serve as a replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The United States, Canada and Mexico signed a trade deal championed by President Donald Trump to replace the quarter-century-old NAFTA pact, capping a year of negotiations and offering a glimmer of certainty amid rising global tensions over trade.

PHARR, Texas — Despite the South Texas trade community’s concern a year ago about the future of free trade with Mexico, 643,313 trucks crossed northbound over the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge over the last 12 months, an increase of nearly 37,000 from the previous year.

The trucking industry expressed support and relief that Canada has agreed to a new trade deal with the United States and Mexico which, if approved by Congress, will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.

U.S. President Donald Trump is set to sign a successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement that will revise a deal he once called a “disaster,” easing uncertainty for companies reliant on tariff-free commerce.

Canada is signaling that this week’s NAFTA deadline could come and go without a deal — with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau citing a “range of paths” forward while his U.S. envoy digs in on two issues.