Oklahoma Delegation Urges Passage of USMCA

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senators James Lankford (R-OK) and Jim Inhofe (R-OK) joined by Representatives Frank Lucas (R-OK), Tom Cole (R-OK), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), and Kevin Hern (R-OK) today released statements of support on the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s announcement of the three-country trade agreement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

“We have seen a year of unnecessary delay since President Trump first announced the USMCA, as our nation waits for Speaker Pelosi to allow the trade agreement to see the light of day in the House,” said Lankford. “I believe the USMCA would easily pass the House, if Speaker Pelosi will stop needlessly stonewalling this important improvement for our trade in North America. My staff and I worked directly with the Administration to ensure Oklahoma voices were heard in its negotiations. With billions of dollars in trade with Canada and Mexico benefitting our agricultural communities, technology companies, and manufacturing industry, we need to immediately prioritize passage of this agreement for the good of the American people.”

“The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is a good deal and we need to make it a reality,” Inhofe said. “One year after President Trump’s announcement of the USMCA, Speaker Pelosi still hasn’t brought it up for a vote. This deal replaces the outdated NAFTA agreement that I opposed because it harmed American truckers and put our businesses at a disadvantage. Oklahoma farmers, ranchers and manufacturers demand trade certainty and this will provide them with just that. Speaker Pelosi needs to put her partisan politics aside and make this deal happen.”

“In Oklahoma we produce more goods than we can consume,” said Lucas. ”Therefore selling into the world market is critical to many industries across the state including agriculture  and energy. That is why on the anniversary of USMCA’s announcement and nearly every other day since then, I call on House Democratic Leadership to bring this to the House floor for a vote. This is a win for Oklahoma, for the United States, and for North America as a whole.”

“It’s been a year since President Trump successfully negotiated the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to rightly update trading terms with our two closest North American neighbors and trading partners,” said Cole. “Trade with Mexico and Canada already supports 12 million jobs in America, including 10,400 jobs right in Oklahoma. And while USMCA already has bipartisan support, House Democratic leaders continue to stall its progress toward ratification. Unfortunately, every day of their inaction marks another day that American entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers unnecessarily miss out on the benefits USMCA has to offer. When lawmakers return later this month for legislative session, I hope Democratic leaders will at last choose to schedule this free and fair agreement for a House vote and release its many benefits to the American people.”

“President Trump promised the American people a better trade deal with our North American trading partners and one year ago today, he delivered on that promise,” said Mullin. “The USMCA is good for American farmers, ranchers, workers, manufacturers, and businesses. This is a huge opportunity to put the United States on a level playing field with our neighbors. It’s unfortunate that Speaker Pelosi is so caught up in partisan politics that she has refused to give the American people this win. It’s time quit playing games and pass the USMCA.”

“One year ago today, President Trump announced the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, following through on his promise to put America first and renegotiate bad deals that put us at a disadvantage,” said Hern. “After a full year, and the approvals of both Mexico and Canada, we are surprisingly nowhere closer to implementing this new trade deal. While a vast majority of Americans—and a bipartisan majority of Congress—support the USMCA, Speaker Pelosi refuses to allow a debate or vote on the House floor out of spite for our President. This goes beyond partisan games; this deal will create 176,000 new jobs and stimulate more than $68 billion in new economic growth. Simply put, the USMCA is good for America. It’s time to put the American people ahead of politics and pass the USMCA!”

Background Information:

The USMCA will replace the current NAFTA agreement that governs trade across North America. The new agreement modernizes the 24-year-old NAFTA, supporting mutually-beneficial trade to continue strong economic growth in North America.

While the negotiations concluded a year ago with the agreement of all three countries and formal ratification by Mexico, the US and Canada have yet to ratify the USMCA. 

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