US/Mexico/Canada agreement strengthens American workers and competitiveness

At 25 years old, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is no longer the best free trade agreement for many American workers and businesses. When it was signed, NAFTA was an innovative trade agreement that produced unprecedented trade and commerce throughout North America and showed how the growth of free and fair trade benefited the United States. But now, 25 years later, NAFTA no longer offers 21st century protections for a modern economy — just think about how much technology has changed.

America’s workers and economy need a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. An agreement that brings new opportunities to local communities while making American-made products more competitive in the global marketplace. The newly-negotiated United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is that agreement.

During my time in the Senate, I advocated for smart trade policies and agreements that would strengthen American industries, from energy and manufacturing to farming and ranching. I understood the importance of having a competitive North American trade agreement that maintains relationships with Canada and Mexico while protecting American jobs.

The USMCA is a welcome agreement for workers and industries that depend on free, fair, and rules-based trade. That means America’s farmers and ranchers — from dairy producers to tomato and almond growers. It also means American auto workers and manufacturers as well as all of the small businesses along those supply chains. The energy and technology industries will also be more competitive in today’s economy because of this agreement.

According to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, trade with Canada and Mexico supports 14 million American jobs. Failure to approve the USMCA puts these jobs, the nation’s historically low unemployment rate, and record high stock market at risk. Approving this commonsense trade agreement ensures this trend continues.