U.S. House comes to agreement on USMCA

House comes to agreement on USMCA

WASHINGTON, DC – After more than a year of inaction, the House of Representatives announced an agreement on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) to be voted on in the House. This deal will replace NAFTA as the document governing trade between our North American neighbors.

This morning, Rep. Hern joined fellow members of the USMCA Whip Team on a call with Ambassador Robert Lighthizer, the United States Trade Representative, to discuss the agreements made between USTR and Speaker Pelosi before the vote was announced.

“It’s been a long time coming, but I am glad to finally announce that we are moving forward with the USMCA,” said Rep. Hern. “This is a tremendous step in our relationship with our North American neighbors. The world has changed so much since the creation of NAFTA – e-commerce wasn’t even mentioned! A modern world demands modern updates. It’s a year later than we’d hoped, but I am proud of the work we’ve done to find consensus on the USMCA and bring it to the floor for a vote.”

Background Information:

Last week, the entire Oklahoma delegation released a joint statement in support of the USMCA.

On the one-year anniversary of Trump’s announcement of the deal, members of the Oklahoma delegation released statements urging Congressional action on the USMCA.

Oklahoma congressional delegation united in support of USMCA trade deal, call for House vote

Oklahoma delegation unified in support of USMCA

WASHINGTON, DC – More than a year after President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) with leaders from Mexico and Canada, Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation is unanimous in support of the trade deal. All five Members of the House and both U.S. Senators call on House Leadership to work together to bring the USMCA for a vote before the end of the year.

“The USMCA is good for Americans,” said Rep. Kevin Hern (OK-01). “There’s no reason to hold it up any longer. Speaker Pelosi needs to put politics aside and let us have this debate in the people’s House and vote on the USMCA before the end of the year. More than 112,000 jobs in our home state of Oklahoma depend on trade with Mexico and Canada. The deal is expected to create more than 176,000 new jobs and stimulate over $68 billion in new economic growth. This kind of growth in our economy is beyond political spats and has overwhelming, bipartisan support in Congress. We cannot stall this deal any longer.”

Senator James Inhofe said, “We are well past a year since President Trump’s announcement of the USMCA trade agreement, yet Speaker Pelosi still hasn’t brought the agreement up for a vote. Oklahoma farmers, ranchers and manufacturers need trade certainty. We can support them through new, fair trade policies if Democrats would stop playing partisan politics. Speaker Pelosi needs to bring the USMCA up for a vote before the end of the year—no excuses.”

Senator James Lankford said, “The USMCA negotiations ended more than a year ago, and it has been sitting in the House of Representatives waiting for a vote. Every manufacturer, agricultural producer, and international business in North America is waiting on the House to finally act. A vote on the USMCA agreement would demonstrate to Oklahomans and the American people that we’re serious about updating NAFTA to reflect the 21st-century interests of American farmers, ranchers, producers, manufacturers, and more. I urge Speaker Pelosi to bring the USMCA to the floor for a vote before the end of the year.”

Rep. Frank Lucas (OK-03) said, “It’s been just over a year since President Trump signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement with his Canadian and Mexican counterparts. A trade deal guaranteeing more American jobs, a stronger economy, and support for our nation’s agriculture producers, the USMCA stands ready to provide millions of valuable opportunities for North America. Oklahoma’s manufacturers and agriculture producers know all too well the added value of exporting products into the world market and ensuring a level playing field only heightens our state’s prosperity. I’m proud to join my Oklahoma colleagues calling on House Democratic Leadership to put partisan politics aside and bring the USMCA to the House Floor for a vote. The clock is ticking, and businesses and agriculture producers across Oklahoma are waiting for Congress to act.”

Rep. Tom Cole (OK-04) said, “The United States trades with our two North American neighbors more than any other countries in the world. It’s now been more than a year since President Trump, Mexican President Nieto and Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau signed an updated trade agreement to strengthen that relationship and deliver benefits to consumers and job creators. Unfortunately, each day that Speaker Pelosi prevents a House vote on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement is another day that American manufacturers, entrepreneurs, farmers and ranchers miss out on its benefits. I am proud to unify with my Oklahoma colleagues in calling for a vote on this vital trade deal.”

Rep. Markwayne Mullin (OK-02) said, “President Trump promised the American people a better trade deal with our North American trading partners and he delivered on that promise. The USMCA is good for Oklahoma farmers, ranchers, workers, manufacturers, and businesses. Canada and Mexico are Oklahoma’s top trading partners and this is a huge opportunity to put us on a level playing field with our neighbors. Speaker Pelosi has claimed for months that she’s on ‘a path to yes,’ but she has refused to give the American people this win because she doesn’t want to give President Trump a win. Every day we delay passage is another day the American people miss out on the benefits of the deal. It’s time quit playing games and pass the USMCA.”

Rep. Kendra Horn (OK-05) said, “Stronger trading relationships with our neighbors mean a stronger economy for Oklahoma. Free and fair trade is important to the families, workers, and businesses in my district, and that is why I am fighting for finalization of the USMCA every step of the way. Our next step towards passing a trade deal is to complete a bipartisan agreement between the U.S. Trade Representative and the working group negotiating final changes to the USMCA. Finding common ground takes hard work, and we won’t cross the finish line with finger-pointing or partisan politics. As the year comes to a close, we must find a bipartisan agreement and bring the USMCA to the floor for a vote.”

OK's GOP delegation celebrates one year of USMCA, urges passage through Congress

No comment from Oklahoma's lone Democratic member of Congress, Kendra Horn (D, OK-05)...

Oklahoma delegation celebrates one year of USMCA, urges passage through Congress

Washington, DC – Members of Oklahoma’s Congressional delegation released statements in support of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) this afternoon on the one-year anniversary of President Donald Trump’s announcement of the three-country trade agreement.

Rep. Kevin Hern: “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. 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!”

Senator Jim Inhofe: “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.”

Senator James Lankford:  “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 benefiting our agricultural communities, technology companies, and manufacturing industry, we need to immediately prioritize passage of this agreement for the good of the American people.”

Rep. Frank Lucas: “In Oklahoma we produce more goods than we can consume. 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.”

Rep. Tom Cole: “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. 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.”

Rep. Markwayne Mullin: “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. 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.”


Background Information:

The United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (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 both Mexico and Canada have ratified the agreement, the United States’ Congress has yet to ratify the USMCA.