[CTC] U.S. Chamber backs USMCA, but warns against NAFTA withdrawal

[Arthur Stamoulis]

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/12/10/us-chamber-backs-mexico-canada-deal-warns-against-nafta-withdrawal-1054845

U.S. Chamber backs USMCA, but warns against NAFTA withdrawal

By Megan Cassella
12/10/2018 01:57 PM EDT

The influential U.S. Chamber of Commerce has formally endorsed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement and will help the Trump administration win support for the deal in Congress — but warned against a withdrawal from NAFTA.

"After carefully assessing the new deal and its impact on our members, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has thrown its support behind the USMCA, which is critical to maintaining strong economic growth in the U.S.," Tom Donohue, the chamber's president and CEO, wrote in an online post <http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89375f3db5f070349a37ce2563af9dc3cb97eb73106c100b0e2cf2c121f764494371958621f3ec04b663b8a88b1e01cf> today.

"We will work with the administration and other stakeholders to address a handful of outstanding issues and secure approval of the USMCA in Congress," he wrote.

When the three-way deal was unveiled in October, the Chamber highlighted "numerous wins" in the agreement but stopped short <http://go.politicoemail.com/?qs=89375f3db5f07034aa732657a5f14a1a24eb0dd727a3dacd2e8fbc411375e7e8f0a0bff22fac980d36b20d0530683353> of offering a full endorsement. 

The Chamber's decision to put its lobbying power behind the effort to ratify the deal could prove crucial to winning support from business-friendly lawmakers, mainly Republicans, who had expressed concern over provisions that they felt ran counter to their interests, like the sunset clause.

Donohue warned President Donald Trump not to follow through on his threat to withdraw from the existing NAFTA in order to force a vote on the USMCA, arguing that the administration should focus instead on building support in Congress on the deal's merits.

"Issuing this threat against a co-equal branch of government is neither necessary nor productive and could actually cost votes," he wrote.

Donohue added that the Chamber is also keeping pressure on the administration to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imported from Canada and Mexico "without delay." Those penalties have invited $15 billion in counter-tariffs and are affecting $500 million in U.S. imports and exports daily, he noted.
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