Rep. Peterson applauds signing of USMCA

WASHINGTON- Rep. Collin Peterson, Chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, released the following statement today following the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

"Today is an important milestone in the USMCA agreement which preserves key agricultural access to our neighbors to the north and south," said Peterson. "I have been working to get this agreement to this point since 2018 because of the importance of these markets for the farmers and manufacturers in Western Minnesota. I am hopeful that the completion of USMCA will create the momentum needed to negotiate deals that recover our trade relationships and expand our export opportunities."

Now that the U.S. and Mexico have officially ratified the agreement, USMCA will go into force 90 days after it is ratified by Canada.

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 Canadawill 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."

David W. MacLennan, Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer, Cargill, "Thank you for your diligent leadership in getting USMCA passed in Congress, and with such strong bipartisan support - a landmark achievement."

Jim Umpleby, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Caterpillar, "On behalf of Caterpillar's employees, dealers and suppliers in your state, I want to thank you for your recent vote in favor of the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). As a global company and a net exporter from the United States, Caterpillar relies on free trade to supply products and services to our customers around the world. Free trade agreements like the USMCA put in place the rules that enable Caterpillar and other U.S. companies to export more equipment to our international customers. In addition to maintaining market access for Caterpillar products throughout North America, USMCA includes provisions important to our future success with new guidelines governing the treatment of remanufactured goods and digital trade. We appreciate your vote in support of USMCA and free trade."

Thomas Vilsack, President and CEO, U.S. Dairy Export Council; and James Mulhern, President and CEO, National Milk Producers Federation,"On behalf of America's dairy farmers and manufacturers, we are writing to express our appreciation for your efforts to deliver an improved United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that will provide new opportunities for American-made food and farm products. Your leadership and commitment to dairy farmers and manufacturers was exhibited by your integral role in touting the benefits of this deal and urging its swift passage. This effort has not gone unnoticed by dairy producers and processors. ... An improved USMCA deal that delivers on the promises made to America's dairy industry would not have been possible without the hard work devoted to this effort by you and your colleagues."

Tamera Nelson, Executive Director, AgriGrowth, The next step now is swift ratification of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which is critically important to Agrigrowth members, including food producers, processors and every business that has a connection to the second largest economic driver in the state. It is great to hear lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, as well as representatives from agriculture, labor, manufacturing, other sectors speaking so highly of an agreement that means the difference between profit and loss to Minnesota's agri-food industry."

AgriGrowth Board Chair Pat Lunemann, "Members of the Minnesota AgriGrowth Council are greatly encouraged by progress made by Members of Congress and the Administration earlier this week on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). As the Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture, we appreciate Congressman Peterson's leadership in helping to shepherd this agreement through the process."

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 21stcentury 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."