What they’re saying: Alabama reactions to news of new NAFTA framework

0
67
Mexico-United States
[Photo Credit: AP Photo | Danny Johnston]

The United States and Mexico have reached an agreement on components of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) on Monday, a deal that moves President Donald Trump closer to fulfilling a major campaign promise to renegotiate NAFTA so all American workers can benefit.

“America has … finally turned the page on decades of unfair trade deals that sacrificed our prosperity and shipped away our companies, our jobs, and our Nation’s wealth,” said Trump.

The deal will rename NAFTA “the United States-Mexico Trade Agreement” — a name that would exclude the third NAFTA partner, Canada.

The president said that he will be calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“If they’d like to negotiate fairly, we’ll do that,” Trump told reporters.

According to the White House, the preliminary agreement with Mexico will benefit American workers, American manufacturing, and American agriculture, through provisions including:

  • New “rules of origin” requirements to incentivize billions a year in vehicle and automobile parts production in the United States, supporting high-wage jobs.
  • The strongest, fully enforceable labor standards of any trade agreement.
  • New commitments to reduce trade-distorting policies for agricultural goods.
  • Improvements enabling food and agriculture to trade more fairly.
  • Strong and effective intellectual property protections.
  • The strongest disciplines on digital trade of any international agreement.
  • The most robust transparency obligations of any United States trade agreement.

Here’s what the Alabama delegation is saying about the deal:

Robert Aderholt OfficialU.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt (AL-04):

All throughout the 2016 campaign, Democrats laughed at the idea we could renegotiate our trade deals. With this important step towards a new NAFTA deal, President Trump has once again proven these critics wrong. The strength of the American economy, and the American consumer, comes with a lot of negotiating power. Power that has too often not been used, to the detriment of American workers. Those days are over.

Mo Brooks OfficialU.S. Rep. Mo Brooks (AL-05):

All throughout the 2016 campaign, Democrats laughed at the idea we could renegotiate our trade deals. With this important step towards a new NAFTA deal, President Trump has once again proven these critics wrong. The strength of the American economy, and the American consumer, comes with a lot of negotiating power. Power that has too often not been used, to the detriment of American workers. Those days are over”