[CTC] More Congressional statements on NAFTA signing

Fri Nov 30 07:11:00 PST 2018

Statements from Reps. Schakowsky, Levin and DeFazio...

Schakowsky statement ahead of NAFTA 2.0 signing
November 29, 2018
Today, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky released the following statement ahead of the expected signing of NAFTA 2.0, the ‘new’ North American trade agreement, in Buenos Aires tomorrow on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

“The deal that President Trump is rushing to sign tomorrow will not do nearly enough to raise wages for workers, lower costs for health care consumers, or protect the environment.  As we have seen this week with the announced closures of five General Motors facilities, President Trump’s grand promises to stop outsourcing and create more American manufacturing jobs were completely empty. By signing legislation like last year’s GOP Tax Bill that includes new incentives to outsource jobs, the President is giving tax breaks to offshoring multinational corporations instead of pursuing policies that put workers first.

“The NAFTA 2.0 text now being signed will be no differentthan the last agreement unless trade officials make essential improvements. Namely, swift and certain enforcement of the pact’s labor standards must be added.The current NAFTA 2.0 text would not stop NAFTA’s outsourcing, downward pressure on wages or environmental damage. I fear we will hear more stories like GM in the coming months and years unless the NAFTA deal is significantly improved. We must eliminate big PhRMA provisions that will increase pharmaceutical profits at the expense of patients. 

“If enacted as is, NAFTA 2.0 would not only raise drug prices in Canada and Mexico, but would tie Congress’ hands, preventing us from enacting essential reforms needed to lower prescription drug prices. Despite President Trump promising time and time again to rein in the skyrocketing costs of prescription drugs, the trade deal being signed tomorrow would lock in the outrageously high prices that U.S. health care consumers face today. NAFTA 2.0 would guarantee the manufacturers of biologic drugs ten years of monopoly power in the marketplace. The deal will keep drug prices high and inaccessible for too many Americans.

“Unless it is significantly improved, NAFTA 2.0 will result in more broken promises by Donald Trump to American workers. The people of the United States, as well as our neighboring allies, deserve much, much more. I will do whatever I can to prevent Congress from approving this flawed and dangerous agreement.”

Levin Statement on Planned Signing of New NAFTA
Nov 29, 2018  Issues: Trade <https://levin.house.gov/issues/trade>
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Representative Sandy Levin (D-MI) issued the following statement regarding the planned signing of the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):

“The fatal flaw of the original NAFTA signed 25 years ago – the lack of assured and real labor reform in Mexico – remains the major weakness of the new NAFTA, or USMCA, being signed tomorrow. The agreement fails to forcefully and directly address, in language and in practice, this fundamental issue. Failing that, it will only lock in the status quo of massive outsourcing to Mexico for decades to come and its consequences.

“Under NAFTA, Mexico sought to attract foreign capital by keeping workers’ wages at rock bottom levels through the denial of basic labor rights. Mexico now has close to the lowest worker pay in the entire industrial world – lower than even China. This not only denied Mexican workers a path to the middle class, but also suppressed wages and took jobs from U.S. workers, especially in auto manufacturing and parts.

“The election of new leadership in Mexico provides that, after 25 years of a trade agreement built on the lowest economic common denominator, there is hope that there will be real change. But hope must become reality in the daily lives of workers. The initial breakthrough of the May 10th provision on labor standards must lead to a dramatic change in the status quo.

“Mexico’s industrial policy of suppressed wages must be dismantled. This means direct steps to end Mexico’s thousands of so-called protection contracts, signed without the support or even the knowledge of workers, as well as other key reforms must take place before the U.S. Congress votes on any new NAFTA. And there must be strong assurances of continued, vigorous enforcement. Indirect efforts, such as new rules of origin, will simply not get the job done.

“Anything less would be a grave injustice to American workers and likely a dead-end in a new Democratic House of Representatives.”

STATEMENT FROM REP. PETER DEFAZIO AHEAD OF PLANNED NAFTA 2.0 SIGNING
Nov 29, 2018  Press Release 

“Tomorrow, President Trump will sign the text of NAFTA 2.0 along with Mexico and Canada. Although the president has repeatedly and emphatically stated that he would get rid of the disastrous trade policies of the last twenty-five years, this agreement promotes many of the same damaging provisions as its predecessor. As currently written, this agreement does not truly protect American jobs, American workers, or our environment.

“While I’m pleased the deal addresses some long-standing issues I have fought against, including threats to U.S. highway safety, the agreement remains incomplete. The agreement contains new labor standards and protections for workers, but lacks the proper mechanisms to enforce them. Without robust enforcement of these standards, American workers will continue to suffer from the same job outsourcing inflicted upon working families by the original agreement. Furthermore, the new agreement does not address climate change and fails to require participating countries to adopt and enforce environmental protections. I remain committed to working on much-needed improvements to the agreement in order to create a trade deal that works for all Americans, not just the wealthiest.”

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826

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