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[Page S256]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
LEGISLATIVE SESSION
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UNITED STATES-MEXICO-CANADA TRADE AGREEMENT
Mr. McCONNELL. Madam President, on an entirely different matter,
before we turn to the trial in earnest, the Senate has one more major
accomplishment to deliver to the American people.
Yesterday we began floor consideration of the most significant update
to the North American trade policy in nearly 30 years. In just a couple
of hours, we are going to pass the USMCA and send it to President Trump
for his signature.
It was back in 2018 when the Trump administration finalized its talks
with the Governments of Mexico and Canada. This has been a major
priority for the President and for many of us in both Houses of
Congress.
That is because American livelihoods in every corner of every State
depend on these critical trading relationships. Farmers, growers,
cattlemen, manufacturers, small businesses, big businesses--this is a
major step for our whole country.
In the 26 years since the ratification of NAFTA, trade with Mexico
and Canada has come to directly support 12 million American jobs--12
million workers and their families who depend on robust trade with our
North American neighbors. Our neighbors to the north and south purchase
half a trillion dollars in American goods and services every single
year. That includes more than a quarter of all the food and
agricultural products we export. Take my home State of Kentucky as an
example. Mexico and Canada buy $300 million of agricultural exports
from Kentucky growers and producers every year. They buy $9.9 billion
of our State's manufacturing exports--and on and on. Commerce with our
neighbors is essential across the board.
No wonder experts estimate that USMCA would create 176,000 new
American jobs. No wonder they predict it will yield tens of billions of
dollars in economic growth. No wonder farmers, ranchers, steelworkers,
and manufacturers across our country have been so eager to see the
USMCA signed, sealed, and delivered. In one recent letter, Kentucky
farmers told me: ``We need the agreement ratified, and we need it to
happen now.''
I know my colleagues have been hearing the same thing from their home
States. Republicans, Democrats, Senators, Representatives--our incoming
has been the same: Get this deal passed. Failure is not an option.
Of course, for far too long, our counterparts in the House kept all
these Americans waiting. It took more than a year and a lot of pressure
from Senate Republicans to get the Speaker of the House to stop
blocking the trade deal and finally let the House vote on it. Late last
year, she finally relented. It passed by a big bipartisan margin, of
course, and I now expect that kind of vote will repeat itself here in
the Senate.
I am especially grateful to our colleagues and counterparts who got
this across the finish line: to the U.S. Trade Representative, Bob
Lighthizer, and his hard-working team, led by his chief of staff,
Jamieson Greer; to Chairman Grassley for leading the bipartisan effort
in the Senate Finance Committee and his trade team, led by Nasim
Fussell; to Ranking Member Wyden and his trade counsel, Jayme White,
and all of our Finance Committee colleagues and staff; and to the
chairmen of our other committees of jurisdiction who worked nimbly to
get this done.
I want to thank the exceptional Cloakroom staff--in particular,
Christopher Tuck.
I would like to thank members of my own team whose efforts were
invaluable, most especially my chief economic policy council, Jay
Khosla, whose role in securing this agreement has been absolutely
essential; Ali Nepola in my personal office; Erica Suares and my
leadership policy advisers; and, of course, their fearless leaders,
Sharon Soderstrom, my chief of staff, and my deputy chief of staff for
policy, Scott Raab.
Of course, I am most grateful to President Trump for prioritizing,
negotiating, and delivering on this major promise. Today the Senate
will send this landmark agreement to the President's desk--a big
bipartisan win. It comes the very same week as President Trump also
signed phase one of his administration's trade agreement with China--
quite a week of substantive accomplishments for the Nation, for the
President, and for our international trade. Both of these measures will
only add to all the other Republican policies of the past 3 years that
have helped generate this historically strong economic moment for
working Americans and for their families.
I would urge every one of our colleagues to join me in voting to pass
the USMCA.
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