The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) has sent a letter to the nine members of the House Democrats' Trade Working Group emphasizing the need to pass the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). Doing so will ensure duty-free access to two of America's largest export markets. This is necessary to guarantee competitiveness for the manufacturing industry.
USMCA would replace the previous North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Each country's leader has signed the agreement, but it is currently awaiting approval by the U.S. Congress.
Read more: Associations Urge Passage of USMCA
AEM sent its letter to the working group in the hopes of quickly finalizing and ratifying the agreement.
“Reasserting our nation’s commitment to duty-free trade with Canada and Mexico provides certainty to all U.S. businesses required for long-term planning and investment decisions...Working families, farmers and ranchers, businesses including equipment manufacturers, and all Americans are waiting for Congress to approve the agreement so our entire economy can benefit from the USMCA,” states the letter.
The letter notes the benefits a trade agreement such as USMCA provides to equipment manufacturers and the 1.3 million men and women in the industry which it effects. It also highlights the benefits it would provides U.S. farmers, working families and the broader U.S. economy. The Democratic representatives assigned to the Trade Working Group were tapped earlier this year by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.-12) to review and revise concerns with existing labor, environmental, enforcement and pharmaceutical provisions in the trade agreement.
