Three Republican senators wrote to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer Wednesday to say that the Trump administration should drop its effort to add an expiration clause to the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The lawmakers note that even if the administration could get Mexico and Canada to agree to it, Congress might reject it.
“We commend the Trump administration’s enthusiasm to ensure that past trade agreements continue to promote U.S. interests. However, it should be clear that any need for a ‘sunset’ provision in the trade agreements is unnecessary,” said the letter, which was signed by Sens. James Lankford of Oklahoma, John Thune of South Dakota, and Mike Enzi of Wyoming.
The Republicans argued that Trump’s “very engagement” on the issue and ability to institute renegotiations of the 1993 deal among the U.S., Canada, and Mexico was “evidence of every future administration’s ability to review and renegotiate trade deals.”
They also warn the administration against creating any “additional barrier to trade” and that “additional taxes on imports should not be the focus of U.S. trade policy” and that any changes to NAFTA “must be approved by Congress.”
The fifth round of talks to renegotiate NAFTA started Wednesday in Mexico City. The talks have been rocky. In addition to an end date, the Trump administration has sought to allow countries to opt out of the deal’s investor-state dispute settlement system and to increase the requirement for when an item can be labeled “made in America.” The proposals have been opposed by Canada and Mexico, which would see severe disruption to their industries under the changes.
The lack of progress has sparked concerns that President Trump will follow through with his threats to pull the U.S. out of the deal. The fourth round concluded last month in Arlington, Va., with the respective countries’ top negotiators publicly trading barbs. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said he was “surprised and disappointed by the resistance” to the proposals. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said this month that his department is preparing contingency plans for the U.S. agriculture industry should the U.S. leave the deal.
