Chamber pushes lawmakers on new NAFTA

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to Congress on Tuesday to push for passage of a revised North American trade agreement.

More than 600 signatures are on the letter touting the benefits of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), including AdvaMed, the American Beverage Association, Business Roundtable, the Internet Association and the National Association of Manufacturers.

“USMCA is critical to our economic future because it will preserve and strengthen U.S. trade ties to Canada and Mexico,” the letter read.

Local Chamber branches from all 50 states, as well as from Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico, also signed on.

“Approval of USMCA will ensure U.S. manufacturers, farmers, and service providers can continue to access the Canadian and Mexican markets. The new pact guarantees that virtually all U.S. exports will enter these markets tariff-free,” the letter reads.

Other signatures include the American Farm Bureau Federation, International Franchise Association, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Confectioners Association, and the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association. 

The letter also noted that when the North American Free Trade Agreement was negotiated, there was no e-commerce. The USMCA includes digital trade and “sets a new, high standard, as the agreement does in areas from intellectual property protection to trade in services.”

Vice President Pence is also pushing for the trade deal on Tuesday. He is traveling to Iowa and will tour Accumold, a company that manufactures micro molding components based in Ankeny. He will then deliver remarks on the administration’s efforts to pass the USMCA.