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Shining Light on Farm & Food Policy for 20 Years.
Tuesday, May 07, 2024
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is going to have to be torn open to add labor enforcement measures or the newly renegotiated trade pact will have no chance of ratification in the U.S., AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka said Tuesday.
The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement would be an overall win for the U.S. farm sector, reforming biotechnology and phytosanitary standards, but it would also allow for only “slight increases” in exports of some U.S. agricultural commodities, according to a 379-page analysis released today by the U.S. International Trade Commission.
The renegotiated North American trade pact is popular in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, but the Trump administration and U.S. lawmakers are making ratification increasingly difficult with complications that threaten to derail the process.
If American almond, citrus, pork, apple and dairy farmers want any chance of regaining their markets in China, Mexico and Canada, U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs will likely have to be lifted. The problem, however, is the threat of cheap foreign metal flooding the U.S. market is now as high as ever.
The Trump administration, seeking to gain support for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement from apprehensive House Democrats, sent its chief trade advisor to Capitol Hill Wednesday morning to try to sell the pact and address lawmakers’ concerns.
The House of Representatives is awash with new lawmakers. They’ve only been on the job for a few months but could present a formidable obstacle for the Trump administration as it pushes for approval of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Retaliation from around the world to U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs is still hitting farmers and ranchers here hard, but the pain could get a lot worse if President Donald Trump follows through with threats to impose new import taxes on cars and car parts.
If the Trump administration wants the legislatures in the U.S., Mexico and Canada to ratify the renegotiated trade agreement that binds all three countries with virtually no ag trade tariffs, it’s going to have to lift its steel and aluminum tariffs, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said Wednesday.
