HOUSE REPUBLICANS FEELING CONFIDENT ON USMCA

Tricia Braid

Mar 28, 2019  |  Today's News |  Exports |  Legislation & Regulation

According to a Bloomberg news report citing Representative Steve Scalise, House Republicans had a “great meeting” with President Trump on the renegotiated NAFTA trade deal (the U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement/USMCA) and how to get the accord between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico through Congress. This is the first such meeting of a large group of Republicans with President Trump on this topic, which the president has indicated is his top legislative priority. Ratification of the USMCA is the top legislative priority of the Illinois Corn Growers Association for the current session of Congress. President Trump has threatened to remove the U.S. from the current NAFTA deal if USMCA is not ratified. A recent Purdue University economic analysis says that if the U.S. withdraws from NAFTA, agricultural exports will lose $9.4 billion in value.

 

  • Scalise says his team is talking to Democrats about the trade deal, which must be approved by Congress
  • "This is an area where Republicans and Democrats together can agree this is a better deal for America,” top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee Kevin Brady says
  • Brady says GOP is willing to work with Democrats to fine-tune agreement, including on enforcement issues
  • Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers says the deal is "important to our farmers" and manufacturers, calls passage of the agreement “a high priority"

 

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