There are only eight legislative days left in the calendar year, and House leadership has still not addressed many issues hardworking people face every day. Among those issues is passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade agreement that President Trump and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer successfully negotiated with Mexico and Canada one year ago this week.
It is unfortunate that Speaker Nancy Pelosi has led us to believe in the last weeks that the USMCA would be brought to the House for a vote, adding that House Democrats were on a “path to yes” and that action on the USMCA was “imminent.” Saying that she now believes there is not enough time in the year to bring the agreement to a vote is quite the statement, especially after how, under her leadership, the House of Representatives spent nearly 30 legislative days on their quest to impeach a duly elected president.
This agreement will bring 176,000 new jobs to the U.S. and will spur over $60 billion in new economic activity. Additionally, it opens access to critical markets, such as the Canadian dairy market, for U.S. producers.
When the original transcontinental agreement was signed, the concept of e-commerce (the tool that revolutionized direct-to-consumer business and opened the market to small and locally owned businesses) was still an idea of the future. Now more than ever, small businesses in Missouri and across the country rely on the internet and e-commerce to advertise and sell their products. This agreement creates new provisions that delves into these areas that were never discussed in the original agreement, despite how important e-commerce has become to our economy, further underscoring just how outdated our current trade rules are.
The USMCA also has stronger labor provisions than NAFTA, protecting American workers from being undercut by cheap foreign labor. The agreement also addresses a range of issues rarely addressed in NAFTA, such as regulations on digital trade and a chapter dedicated to small businesses.
Mexico already passed the agreement earlier this summer, with Mexico’s undersecretary for foreign affairs saying he’s “confident that our partners will soon do the same.” Canada has already introduced the agreement to its parliament and has begun its legislative procedure for approving the USMCA. We owe it to our producers and consumers to take the lead and reaffirm our commitment to productive and mutually beneficial trade with our two closest neighbors.
It is concerning that Pelosi is back-peddling on such an important deal for farmers and ranchers across my state and across our country. Needed jobs, critical access to markets, and new investments in America should not be held up by Pelosi because of her need to undermine Trump going into an election year.
It is my hope that Congress will work together with Trump to make sure this deal is passed. I look forward to working expeditiously to secure this new deal for Missouri and all of the country.
Speaker Pelosi, let’s get this done. No more excuses.
Rep. Vicky Hartzler, a Republican, represents Missouri’s 4h Congressional District.
