Letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer - Overhaul NAFTA and Set a New Course on Trade

Letter

Dear Ambassador Lighthizer:

As the member of Congress representing Rochester, New York and surrounding area, I share the concerns that many of my constituents have raised against the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). I voted against NAFTA when it was pushed through Congress twenty-four years ago, and the reasons I opposed it then have, unfortunately, proven all too true

Rochester is a textbook example of how NAFTA failed the American worker. There were 114,000 manufacturing jobs in the Rochester area when the agreement went into effect. After two decades of failed trade agreements modeled on NAFTA, our manufacturing employment is now 57,000 -- exactly half of what it once was. The loss of those jobs, coupled with losses at manufacturing suppliers and service providers, has left Rochester with one of the highest poverty rates in the country. While there were certainly many factors that contributed to the decline, it is clear that NAFTA accelerated the pace of globalization that was a major factor behind the loss of local manufacturing jobs.

The decline of manufacturing in Rochester represents only a small portion of those jobs lost nationwide. The Trade Adjustment Assistance program has, using its narrow definition, certified that over 900,000 American jobs have been lost to offshoring and import displacement directly because of NAFTA trade. Those workers reenter the workforce in lower-skilled and lower-wage jobs and are more reliant on safety net programs. NAFTA's legacy has been a drag on the economy, with wages failing to keep up with productivity and inflation.

The question becomes not whether NAFTA should be renegotiated, but what kind of deal we can expect from the Trump Administration. Recent statements from administration officials indicate that the negotiating agenda may be limited in scope, but this would be a mistake. NAFTA needs a major overhaul, not an expedient agreement in pursuit of a meaningless signing ceremony. This can be accomplished only with a transparent, comprehensive renegotiation that puts the interests of American workers ahead of multinational corporations.

NAFTA should raise standards, not encourage a race to the bottom. This starts with meaningful adherence to the bipartisan "May 10" principles, especially with respect to enforceable labor and environmental provisions. American workers should not be forced to compete against workers in Mexico, where the minimum wage is the equivalent of $3.90 per day. In addition, a new agreement should protect Buy American policies, strengthen rules of origin requirements, and reject the misguided investor-state dispute settlement procedure.

As I mentioned at the meeting of the House Advisory Group on Negotiations on May 17, 2017, I have yet to see a free trade agreement that is fair to American workers and manufacturers. In order to earn my support, a renegotiated NAFTA must set an entirely new course for trade policy.

Sincerely,

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