Portman, ex-USTR, Urges Democrats to Join With GOP In Ratifying USMCA

Democrats should join with Republicans in Congress to ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on free trade, wrote Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, in a Washington Post opinion Monday. “Democrats should be leading the charge for its passage,” because they've long criticized the North American Free Trade Agreement, “and because the USMCA addresses the major concerns they have raised with NAFTA,” said Portman, who was U.S. trade representative under President George W. Bush. USMCA “adopts long-held Democratic positions on jobs, labor and environmental standards,” he said, plus other issues. If House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., were to bring USMCA to the floor for a vote, “I am confident it would pass,” he said. “The Senate would quickly follow suit.” Trade with Mexico and Canada supports more than 12 million U.S. jobs, said Portman. “Our trade relationship with our neighbors must be built on a healthy foundation. It’s been 25 years since we entered into NAFTA, and it must now be updated to reflect our 21st-century economy.” Tech interests say likewise (see 1909090021).