The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement brought America together to pass legislation that benefits all North Americans. This is a moment we can be proud of as Americans, where both Republican and Democrat legislators can take pride in the legislation crafted to advance economic success in the U.S.
President Trump’s USMCA is the greatest trade deal in the history of trade deals. Unlike President Bill Clinton’s failures with NAFTA, USMCA is a trade agreement where all three countries win, including the U.S.
The trade agreement promises to strengthen long-standing friendships in North America. USMCA focuses on creating free trade where North America is on a fair playing field. Canada and Mexico are two of America’s biggest importers, creating a significant impact on American companies. The trade deal modernizes intellectual property laws, eliminates currency manipulation and returns thousands of jobs to hard-working Americans.
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Simply put, NAFTA has transformed into another promise made and kept by President Trump. President Trump is working in a bipartisan fashion to deliver on his 2016 campaign promise to renegotiate NAFTA into a deal that treats the U.S. fairly. Even still, the mainstream media barely covered USMCA despite it being a signature accomplishment for the Trump administration.
This deal returns jobs to the U.S. by improving working standards of previously mistreated Mexican workers. Many jobs went south of the border under NAFTA because Mexico offered cheap labor due to their negligent labor laws which were required to change in order for USMCA to go into effect. USMCA enforces new provisions that prohibit the importation of products made by forced labor. These details were ignored by previous administrations and enforced by President Trump.
One specific benefit of USMCA is it improves America’s position in the global automotive market. Over 70,000 new jobs will return to the U.S. in USMCA, as well as $34 billion in new domestic investment. While NAFTA incentivized exporting our jobs, USMCA incentives bringing jobs back. For the first time in years, automotive manufacturers are returning to Detroit, Michigan. It is no surprise unemployment is at an all time low.
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USMCA promotes both free and fair trade. Without trade deals like USMCA, international trade would be less efficient and yield far less commerce, given nations would be abiding by at least two different sets of rules.
Even Obama was harshly critical of NAFTA, saying it cost the U.S. thousands of jobs during his 2008 campaign. Despite that, he did not renegotiate NAFTA even after calling it a big mistake.
The improvements of USMCA were bipartisan, so much so that 40 Democratic U.S. Senators and 193 House Democrats voted in favor. Even Nancy Pelosi voted in favor of this bill. If there is anything Republicans and Democrats can come together on, it’s this deal.
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Furthermore, China has agreed to purchase over $32 billion worth of American agricultural products in the coming two years, which will reinvigorate American farms and dairy production nationwide, including ones right here in America’s Dairyland. This means more agricultural goods stamped “Made in the U.S.A.” coming out of a dairy farm near you. If this isn’t making farmers great again, it’s hard to say what is.
The U.S. is celebrating yet another promise made and kept by President Trump that puts America first. The President joined the Vice Premier of the People’s Republic of China to sign a historic phase one trade agreement — a huge win for all Americans and the world economy.
AJ Remus is a sophomore majoring in real estate and risk management & insurance. He is the Recruitment Director for the College Republicans of UW-Madison.
Read about the College Democrats’ position on the USMCA agreement here.
