President Trump signs USMCA By Phillip A. Howard
President Donald Trump signed the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this week in a ceremony at the White House. The treaty is among the most significant accomplishments of the his presidency.
“We are finally ending the NAFTA nightmare and signing into law the brand new US-Mexico-Canada Agreement,” Trump said at the ceremony. The USMCA “is a cutting edge, state-of-the-art agreement that protects and defends the people of our country.” Trump described the accomplishment as “something we really put our heart into.”
Under the USMCA, new environmental and labor standards will be created for all the parties involved. The agreement will provide farmers greater access to Canadian markets and creates new rules for car companies, ensuring they have to use a higher share of North American parts in their productions.
The White House contends the new agreement will produce 600,000 jobs and generate $235 billion in economic activity. The US International Trade Commission anticipates a 0.35 percent growth in GDP ($68 billion), and employment growth of 0.12 percent (about 176,000 jobs), after fully implemented in six years..
Photo by Alex Brandon/AP
The original version of the deal faced some challenges getting passed, requiring significant changes in order to win over Democrats and labor unions. No top Democrats were present at the signing ceremony, however.
Speaker Pelosi claims that the deal would not have been passed without the “vast improvements” House Democrats wanted. While Chairman Neal said that "perhaps we were not invited to today’s event on the South Lawn because our presence would be a prominent reminder of our critical leadership in achieving this deal.”
The USMCA was already ratified by Mexico, but is still awaiting ratification from Canada, which looks to be a contentious political fight.
Phillip Howard is a graduate student at Utica College
