Wednesday, U.S. Senator Doug Jones, D-Alabama, voted to advance the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) through the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee.
The historic renegotiation and replacement of NAFTA is expected to go to the full Senate for a vote this week.
“I have consistently supported the idea of a new strategic trade agreement with Mexico and Canada, especially as businesses and markets are desperately seeking stability and reassurance due to the numerous global trade disputes the United States has entered over the past few years,” Jones said. “Canada and Mexico are Alabama’s top trade partners and we are an exporting state, so this deal will provide much-needed stability and continued access to those markets that will benefit many industries in Alabama. I hope once the agreement is signed in to law, we will work with other allies around the globe and remove the threat of tariffs on our farmers and automakers once and for all.”
Renegotiating NAFTA was a major campaign promise of Donald J. Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
“The Agreement is an important part of my Administration’s efforts to rebalance trade in North America and to modernize our trade relationship with Mexico and Canada,” Pres. Trump said in a statement.
“The Agreement will create significant new opportunities for American workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses by opening markets in Canada and Mexico and eliminating barriers to United States goods, services, and investment.”
The full Senate is expect to approve the USMCA next week.
“Approving this Agreement is in our national interest,” Pres. Trump said. “I look forward to the Congress expeditiously approving the legislation.”
Senator Jones is a member of the HELP Committee, which is one of the relevant Senate committees of jurisdiction that is required to approve the trade agreement before it can be considered by the full Senate.
The USMCA passed the House of Representatives in December 2019.
Senator Jones is running for reelection this year.
