Peterson celebrates passage of USMCA

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the United States-Mexico-Canda Agreement (USMCA) with a 385 to 41 vote, sending the trade pact to the Senate. Rep. Collin Peterson issued the following statement regarding the replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

“I have been pushing for months to get this deal to the finish line, and today’s bipartisan vote is a reflection of the bill’s strong support from business, manufacturing and labor organizations,” said Peterson. “The passage of USMCA is great news for Western Minnesota which preserves and expands markets for our farmers. I would like to see the conclusion of USMCA lead to new economic growth for our country and momentum to a positive resolution in the ongoing trade war.”

Randy Gordon, President and CEO of The National Grain and Feed Association

“The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) commends and appreciates House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson’s leadership in helping secure House passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). His personal involvement within the Democratic Caucus and persistence in encouraging Speaker Pelosi to reach an agreement that could be supported by a broad bipartisan majority of the House were instrumental in approving what NGFA believes is a 21st century agreement that is very beneficial for U.S. farmers, ranchers, agribusinesses and consumers, will contribute to economic growth in the North American market, and will serve as a blueprint for future trade accords.”

Dennis Slater, president of The Association of Equipment Manufacturers

The Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) is grateful to Chairman Peterson for his leadership and efforts to modernize and strengthen trade across North America and for his vote in favor of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The agreement ensures continued duty-free access to our industry’s largest export markets, creates tens of thousands of new jobs, and adds $68 million to the U.S. economy. We applaud Chairman Peterson for his work to ensure the continued growth and prosperity of our industry, the local communities we serve, and the 40,000 hard working men and women of the equipment manufacturing industry in Minnesota.

Jason Hausauer, Plant Manager Case IH Benson

“We thank Congressman Collin Peterson for his continued advocacy on behalf of Minnesota businesses like CNH Industrial. His strong and early support for the USMCA shows that he understands what businesses like ours rely on. The expanded export market access and certainty enable us – and our farmer customers – to sell products across the continent. At our Case IH Plant in Benson, we export 40% of our production, with Canada as the top destination. And without duty-free access into Canada and Mexico, our farmer customers would lose valuable customers and see their incomes decline.”

Thomas J. Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, “Businesses of all shapes and sizes need sound, commonsense policy in place in order to get off the ground, grow, and succeed. On behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce I thank Congressman Peterson for his leadership and strong support for USMCA and other pro-business policies. The Chamber appreciates the Congressman’s commonsense approach to legislation and policies that strengthen U.S. manufacturing and create a level playing field for American businesses.”

Kevin Paap, President of the Minnesota Farm Bureau, “We appreciate Chairman Peterson’s leadership on USMCA. We urge members of Congress to swiftly approve the USMCA agreement so that it can be ratified. Our farmers cannot wait any longer. This will bring much needed hope to farmers and rural America. These actions will signal to our trading partners that the U.S. is back in business in the international marketplace.”

Gary Wertish, President of the Minnesota Farmers Union, “Minnesota Farmers Union thanks Congressman Peterson for his hard work negotiating a better deal for family farmers. While the deal isn’t likely to drastically change the outlook for them, it is a positive step forward and is much improved from the original deal the Trump administration proposed.”

Les Anderson, President of the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, “The news that the White House and Congress are moving toward passing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is a very positive step for Minnesota’s corn growers “Mexico and Canada represent the largest export market for American corn farmers today, which is the result of open trade between our borders. We are pleased to hear USMCA will continue this momentum in the years ahead. Thank you to Chairman Peterson, other members of Congress and the Administration for prioritizing reaching an agreement, which brings us closer to ratification and much-needed certainty for corn farmers in Minnesota and beyond.”

The National Turkey Federation issued this statement, “The USMCA is a win for the U.S. turkey industry, and with today’s announced agreement we’re one step closer to ratification. It’s taken a great deal of hard work to reach consensus on the USMCA, and we thank President Trump, Ambassador Lighthizer, Secretary Perdue, Speaker Pelosi and congressional leaders in both parties who have gotten us to this point. Now, it’s time for Congress to come together and vote in support of the USMCA, which reinforces our country’s relationship with two critical foreign markets for U.S. turkey products. The best gift Congress can give America’s turkey farmers and processors going into the new year is greater certainty that these important trade relationships with Mexico and Canada will be preserved.”

Paul Kvistad, president of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association, “As the largest turkey producing state in the nation, we need access to North American markets for our products. The USMCA preserves the turkey industry’s trade relationship with Mexico – the industry’s largest export partner – and creates new opportunities for trade with Canada. We thank Chairman Peterson for his continued support of Minnesota’s turkey industry and the USMCA.”