WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Steve Daines today spoke with former House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady in a Senate Finance Committee hearing about the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) and its impact on Montana.
Watch the full exchange HERE.
Daines on how the USMCA benefits Montana producers, manufacturers, and consumers:
Daines: The United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement is vital for Montana ag producers, manufacturers, and consumers alike. President Trump was correct when he sought to modernize NAFTA in 2017, securing better terms for American farmers and businesses and fortifying supply chains in the Western Hemisphere. I’ve heard quite often that USMCA created business and investment certainty for companies who sought to get out of East Asia and reshore operations. That has been a key driver of innovation and growth both here and nearby. Increased trade with Canada and Mexico has been crucial for Montana, which has grown steadily since USCMA was ratified. Canada is Montana’s most important trading partner, accounting for nearly half of our exports and almost all of our imports. Farmers use fertilizer from Canada to grow malt barley that goes to Mexico, which comes back as imported beer. Manufacturers use inputs from both countries for value added industrial processing. Our supply chains are interconnected, and Montana producers are better for it. However, President Trump and Ambassador Greer are right to point out that there is room for improvement for the current Agreement. The Joint Review is an opportunity to address issues like discrimination against Montana electricity exports to Alberta, improper digital trade regulations, and strengthening rules of origin so USMCA benefits only flow to member countries. Chairman Brady,do you think that the Joint Review could be used an effective tool to strengthen the current agreement and secure better terms for American producers?
Brady: There is no question, and I think this is what the review was designed to do.
Daines: I appreciate Ambassador Greer’s view that a rubber stamp of the Agreement is not the only way to proceed. There is always room for improvement. That said, any path forward for USMCA should focus on certainty for American producers, manufacturers, and consumers. Chairman Brady,what would potentially ten years of annual revisitations without an extension mean for American stakeholders?
Brady: I think that uncertainty couldn’t come at a worse time, I think would lower the economic value of that agreement, certainly to America.
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Contact: Matt Lloyd, Gabby Wiggins