MNI POLICY: Purdue & Ex-Ag Chiefs Urge Congress to Pass USMCA

Trade pact with Mexico and Canada will boost U.S. exports

By Brooke Migdon and Alexandra Kelley

     WASHINGTON (MNI) - Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Purdue urged Congress to

ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement as soon as possible, saying it

would help farmers by boosting exports.

     "Support for USMCA crosses political boundaries," Purdue said at a press

conference Thursday where he was joined by predecessors Tom Vilsack, Dan

Glickman and John Block.

     President Trump's Republican administration has been urging Congress for

months to ratify the agreement, with most resistance coming from Democrats. The

pact to replace NAFTA has already been approved by Mexico while Canadian leaders

have delayed completing the deal to see how fast the U.S. acts. 

     Farmers are already feeling some "anxiety" stemming from other trade and

tariff concerns, said former secretary Glickman, who voted for NAFTA in 1993.

"That uncertainty would be much worse if we don't get a trade agreement with our

neighbors, Mexico and Canada," he said. "If we can't work out with them, we

can't work out with anyone."

     Secretaries said enforceability clauses will motivate Mexico and Canada to

comply with new trade stipulations, and the agreement calls for periodic reviews

to ensure all parties are meeting USMCA standards. They also said ratification

of USMCA would generate momentum to negotiate similar agreements with China and

Japan.

     "Get it done and then move onto the next," former secretary Block said.

     Agricultural exports from Canada and Mexico, two of the largest U.S. export

markets, total $39.7 billion and support more than 325,000 American jobs,

according to the Department of Agriculture. Farm exports are critical to the

U.S. economy, with farm production exceeding domestic demand by 25%.

     The secretaries implored Congress to expedite the approval of USMCA and

move past any of the agreement's perceived shortcomings.

     "We can't let the perfect be the enemy of the good," Block said. "This deal

is good for America and good for farmers at a particularly vulnerable time."

--MNI Washington Bureau; +1 202 371 2121; email: brooke.migdon@marketnews.com

--MNI Washington Bureau; +1 202 371 2121; email: alexandra.kelley@marketnews.com

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