Senator Coons announces support for NAFTA update
Statement
U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) today announced his support for the final text of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), an update to the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
"Both Canada and Mexico are major trading partners and allies. Any new trade deal must address some of the shortcomings of NAFTA by raising labor and environmental standards. I'm satisfied with the progress in updating the labor and environmental provisions, and I will work to advance the deal's passage in Congress," said Senator Coons. "Delaware clearly benefits from this NAFTA update. Our organized labor members, poultry farmers, and financial services workers will all see economic benefits as a result."
Under the agreement, the U.S. will gain expanded access to Canada's poultry market, and a barrier to trade in financial services, known as data localization, will be removed. The agreement also ensures robust enforcement mechanisms for environmental obligations, including the creation of a new interagency committee to coordinate U.S. monitoring and enforcement, new environmental attachés in Mexico, and a trigger for environmental reviews by an array of stakeholders.
"Two years ago, President Trump threatened to unilaterally withdraw from our trading relationship with our Canadian and Mexican allies, a move that would have jeopardized the security and economic prosperity of the United States," said Senator Coons. "Only after persistent demands from organized labor and Democratic leaders did the Administration meaningfully change the President's proposed agreement to strengthen our economic ties. I have reviewed the changes, and the result is clear: Democrats made this deal stronger for the American worker."
The agreement text also includes labor-related changes that guard against forced labor, allow the U.S. to monitor Mexico's labor obligations, and enable the U.S. to hold Mexico accountable for failing to meet its labor commitments. The agreement raises wage standards for autoworkers in Mexico, which benefits autoworkers in the U.S.
Source