Washington, D.C. - Congressional Progressive Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Mark Pocan (WI-02) and Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) released the following statement on ongoing negotiations around the proposed US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement:
“The Trade Working Group has been waiting for 23 days for a written commitment from USTR Lighthizer addressing our long-standing concerns with the USMCA as drafted. Before any proposed deal comes up for a vote in Congress, critical changes must be made to strengthen the labor and environmental provisions and address the giveaways to Big Pharma.
“We want to pass a good trade deal -- one that raises wages, strengthens our economy, protects good-paying jobs, and finally rebalances the scales for working people across North America.
“It’s essential that Speaker Pelosi’s Trade Working Group continues its important work with USTR Lighthizer to ensure that necessary revisions are made. There’s no reason for Congress to rubber-stamp a bad trade deal that allows President Trump to sell out workers, families and our planet. Congress should take this opportunity to begin to repair the decades of damage caused by NAFTA, not lock in bad policies that wreak havoc on working families for generations to come.
“The Progressive Caucus is committed to working with our partners in the labor, environmental and consumer protection movements to ensure the needs of families -- not corporate interests -- come first in this agreement.”’
###
