Increasing Trade for Prosperity

This week I was at the White House for a meeting with President Trump, members of his cabinet, and a group of my House colleagues about USMCA, the trade agreement recently negotiated with Canada and Mexico to build on NAFTA's success. While there, I made it a point to thank President Trump for his swift response to recent harsh weather and flooding throughout Nebraska by approving an expedited federal disaster declaration.

The president showed great concern for the people of Nebraska and assured me his administration would do everything in its power to facilitate our recovery. Governor Ricketts submitted his request for an expedited federal disaster declaration to the White House on Tuesday, March 19, the same day Vice President Pence visited Nebraska to observe damage from storms and flooding. The Nebraska congressional delegation, myself included, quickly followed suit by sending a letter of support for the expedited declaration within hours of its transmission.

Later that evening, while on his way back to Washington, D.C., Vice President Pence called me to offer his condolences and share the message of concern he would deliver to the president. That message obviously made an impact because President Trump responded within 48 hours with a federal disaster declaration allowing FEMA to step up its efforts in response to the disaster. I spent that week touring damage personally and one theme constantly came to mind as I searched for ways we can enable Nebraskans to succeed in the face of such adversity, one of which is trade.

It's no secret farmers and ranchers across the country were already hurting due to low commodity prices. The recent blizzard, rains, and flooding have compounded matters, but this isn't the end of the road. As we discussed at the White House this week, USMCA promises to build on the success of NAFTA by further lowering barriers to trade and providing additional access to foreign markets for our producers. Unfortunately, Section 232 tariffs on Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum are still in place, as are the retaliatory measures against our producers, and these issues must be resolved before USCMA is enacted.

While the U.S., Canada, and Mexico signing the agreement is a good start, it is still a long way from the finish line. The legislatures of all three countries need to pass enacting legislation to align their domestic laws with the agreement. Under trade promotion authority, the process which provides for congressional consideration of trade agreements, the agreement signed by leaders of our three nations must be considered on an up or down basis without further amendment by Congress.

While many members of Congress are still reviewing details of USMCA, the administration worked hard to address trade concerns from both parties. These include barriers to U.S. exports, including agriculture, and ensuring our trading partners uphold high labor and environmental standards, with the goal of congress enacting USMCA on a bipartisan basis. My hope is for members to address the agreement on its merits and not to allow partisan agendas to interfere with their decision making process. While I have questions and concerns about a number of provisions, including mechanisms for addressing trade disputes among our three nations, the agreement is a step forward overall, and ensures continuity in North American trade which is so vital to our farmers, ranchers, and manufacturers.

Overall, our meeting was productive and I appreciated the opportunity to personally deliver a message of thanks on behalf of Nebraskans. It is clear President Trump is optimistic about USMCA's chances for passage and I look forward to doing my part to ensure it succeeds. Enacting USMCA, resolving our dispute with China, and working to reduce trade barriers with Japan, for example, will help our farmers and ranchers to compete internationally and recover from this crisis stronger than ever.