President Trump has said from the beginning that his tariffs were designed to get trading partners back to the table and to hammer out deals that benefits all parties. One of the first areas of focus was with Canada and Mexico. We are now seeing the fruit of that labor.
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) and House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee Chairman Dave Reichert (R-WA) released the following statements after the United States, Mexico, and Canada formally signed the new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Chairman Brady said:
“A trilateral agreement to update and modernize NAFTA for the 21st century can be a big win for America’s workers, farmers, and ranchers. With today’s signing by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, we are carefully analyzing this text in the open and transparent process that Congress created under our new trade rules.
“There is no doubt that President Trump has delivered on his promise to obtain many provisions that will increase our ability to sell more American goods and services. But as I’ve said throughout the negotiations, for USMCA to gain widespread support, it must increase certainty as to the durability of the agreement, be fully enforceable to hold our trading partners accountable across all sectors, and increase – not diminish – our ability to sell into these markets.
“I look forward to continuing to consult with the Trump Administration as we look closely at these important questions.”
Trade Subcommittee Chairman Reichert added:
“Throughout my time in Congress I have been proud to champion trade agreements that help American businesses, workers, and farmers sell their goods and services around the world. With today’s signing of an updated agreement with our North American partners, I urge the Administration to continue to work with my colleagues to ensure the agreement meets the standards laid out by Congress and is ultimately successful. A modernized agreement that increases opportunities to sell more goods and services and provides certainty for American businesses is key to the over 248,000 jobs in my home state that depend on trade with Canada and Mexico. I thank Ambassador Lighthizer and his team for their work on this agreement.”
