Six Democratic lawmakers who have long been critical of the North American Free Trade Agreement said Wednesday that Trump’s replacement for it, the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, wasn’t acceptable. It was the latest sign the opposition to the proposed trade deal is growing on the Left, which had previously been skeptical but not actively opposed.
“President Trump failed to move the needle on the changes necessary to protect American workers and consumers in his NAFTA 2.0 agreement,” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., responding to President Trump’s State of the Union address. “Democrats would be willing to support a deal that puts working people first by ending outsourcing incentives and sets forth a trade template that supports American workers. However, the text is simply not there yet.”
DeLauro’s comments were echoed by Reps. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, and Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio, who issued a joint press release. The lawmakers have long called for more aggressive trade policies to protect domestic industries and workers, a goal Trump has pursued in his trade negotiations.
In his State of the Union address, Trump claimed victory on that front. “Our new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — or USMCA — will replace NAFTA and deliver for American workers: bringing back our manufacturing jobs, expanding American agriculture, protecting intellectual property, and ensuring that more cars are proudly stamped with four beautiful words: made in the USA.”
The USMCA deal’s main provision alters the so-called “rules of origin” under NAFTA by setting at 75 percent the amount of North American-made parts needed for a car or truck to be duty-free under NAFTA, up from 62.5 percent. It also requires that at least 40 percent of all auto content be made by workers making at least $16 an hour or its equivalent.
Democrats have said that, among other issues with the deal, it lacks provisions to ensure that U.S. trade partners live up to their requirements. “I welcomed a renegotiation that makes meaningful reforms for American workers and families. The jury is out on whether Trump’s deal will bring jobs back to the United States,” Pascrell said.
Earlier Wednesday, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., who chairs the Ways and Means subcommittee on trade, said he did not believe there was sufficient support to pass USMCA. “Talking to other members, my strong first impression is that there’s a lot of work needed,” he tweeted.
