Neal Statement on USMCA Text Signing

Nov 30, 2018
Press Release

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Ways & Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) released the following statement after President Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the text of the new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA): 

“The leaders of the United States, Canada, and Mexico gathered in Buenos Aires today to sign the USMCA, marking another milestone in the Administration’s efforts to renegotiate the NAFTA. Yet many key questions remain unanswered.  

“As the Administration unveils the final, scrubbed legal text of the USMCA for the first time today, I will continue to scrutinize the details of this deal to determine whether it will deliver on creating the American jobs that the this Administration has promised, particularly in the towns and communities across our country that have borne the heaviest losses over the past two and a half decades. The agreement must do more than make some improvements on the margins. It needs to establish economic conditions and incentives that will create the good paying jobs that support middle class families. My assessment will focus on the content of the commitments that have been put on paper and whether those commitments, especially on worker rights and environmental protections, are enforceable and will translate into real world impacts for American workers and communities.”
 
Background: 

In the 60 days since the President announced that the Administration had concluded the NAFTA renegotiation with both Mexico and Canada, 

  • U.S. Customs has collected another two months’ worth of duties on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico; 
  • Canadian and Mexican Customs have collected another two months’ worth of duties on their imports of steel, aluminum, and agricultural products from the United States; and
  • GM announced plans to close five plants in Michigan, Ohio, Maryland, and Ontario, which could result in the elimination of up to 14,000 jobs.

 
As of today, NAFTA trade remains disrupted, and the future of American manufacturing remains as uncertain as ever. 

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Subcommittees: 
Trade (115th Congress)