House of Representatives Passes U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement

(IARN) — The House of Representatives has passed a long-awaited measure, with regards to international trade relations.

Congressional leaders moved to implement the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USCMA) with a 385 to 41 vote.

U.S. Representative Steve King (R-IA District 4) spoke in favor of the revised agreement, ahead of the vote. While not in favor of amending the original agreement, King believes this pact will benefit Iowa farmers and manufacturers.

King says that for a year and a half, he’s been having discussions with every entity that has been affected by this trade agreement. He reports that they all say we’re better off. King says, “They might say we’re marginally better off, but they say we are better off, until you get to dairy, where we’re a lot better off than we were. This is a terrific trade agreement. Whatever the nuances were, were some that didn’t affect the district I represent.”

U.S. Representative Cindy Axne (D-IA 3rd District) thanked her colleagues for creating a better trade agreement that works for Iowa. She says, “Thank you to my colleagues (who) crafted this agreement that gives market stability to farmers, protects Iowa workers from having their wages undercut, helps reduce the high cost of biologic drugs and has important environmental protections.”

The measure now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to receive bipartisan support.

Iowa U.S Senator Chuck Grassley says that the overwhelming, bipartisan vote in the House of Representatives is a historic victory for President Trump and the entire country. He says, “President Trump was adamant in campaigning for an overhaul to NAFTA. Now he’s put to rest any doubt that USMCA is a significant improvement and a win for Americans.”

He says that President Trump and Ambassador Lighthizer have worked hard to achieve a strong deal with bipartisan support, and says they deserve congratulations for this historic achievement.

Grassley tells us that ratification of USMCA in 2019 is no longer possible, “…because it took more than a year for House Democrats to act. It’s unfortunate that farmers, manufacturers and all American workers had to wait so long. Impeaching the president and passing USMCA in the same week makes immediate action impossible. But I look forward to getting USMCA passed in the Senate and ratified early next year.”

The Iowa Agribusiness Radio Networkassisted with this story and provided the photo.