The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is basically an updated North American Free Trade Agreement. It has been modernized and strengthened. It includes more stringent intellectual property rules, protecting U.S. manufacturing inventions and innovations that were nonexistent when NAFTA was created.
Canada and Mexico purchase more U.S. goods than any other of our trading partners, equaling nearly 20% of U.S. manufacturing output. The new agreement ensures manufacturers can sell their products duty free into Canada and Mexico and eliminates red tape at the border. It provides fair competition with the same rules at home and abroad. It also prohibits anti-U.S. discrimination and anti-competitive activity from foreign governments.
The jobs of about 2 million American manufacturing workers depend upon exports to Canada and Mexico, including more than 43,000 small and medium-size businesses.
Democrats initially held up passage of this trade agreement over labor concerns, which have now been resolved. Unfortunately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi continues to resist bringing the agreement to the floor for a vote. Speculation is that she does not want to give a “win” to the Trump administration. However, this has bipartisan support, is about U.S. jobs and is a “win” for the American manufacturing workers.
We suggest you contact our current Colorado 2nd Congressional District congressman, send a copy of this letter to the editor to him and urge him to vote for the agreement now. His name is Joe Neguse, 2503 Walnut St., Suite 300, Boulder, CO 80302 (303-355-1045).