Pascrell Statement on USMCA Unveiling

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the Ranking Member of the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade, reacted to the signing this morning of a new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the G-20 summit.

“NAFTA was a failed agreement that saw too many American jobs leave our communities. A principal driver of this outsourcing was low wages and the lack of true labor standards in Mexico. Today, after almost 25 years of NAFTA, the American, Mexican, and Canadian economies are closer than ever.  So when workers in Mexico can’t exercise their rights, the rights and wages of American workers are diminished also.

“Less than 24 hours before today’s signing of the renegotiated NAFTA, workers at a Mexican factory in Ciudad Acuna attempted to hold a free and fair election for new union representation. Yesterday’s election was suspended after violent attacks at two polling stations that resulted in the destruction of ballot boxes and the loss of nearly 3,000 ballot papers.  The original NAFTA did not improve the labor conditions in Mexico; those flaws persist to this day. Americans deserve a new and modern trade agreement that allows the North American economies to grow without sacrificing the well-being and dignity of our working people. This is the standard by which I will be judging the terms of the USMCA.

“While Trump likes to claim victory and make a ceremonial show, today’s signing is merely the next step in an incomplete and ongoing process. There is still a ways to go to gain support in the new Congress for this agreement. I look forward to reviewing the final text of the agreement, consulting with stakeholders, and reviewing the International Trade Commission’s analysis of the agreement’s likely economic impacts.”

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