United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCHNEIDER. Madam Speaker, I want to associate myself with the remarks of my colleague from Illinois.

This is a win for American workers, for their families, for their communities, and for our Nation as a whole.

I want to thank Chairman Neal and Ranking Member Brady, the working group, and, in particular, our staff, who worked so hard, tirelessly, to bring this deal forward.

The USMCA legislation before us today is the result of many months of hard-fought negotiations between Congress and the administration, and it is a true victory for working people and our country.

Compared to the initial version of the agreement shared by the White House last year, the improved trade agreement before us today includes markedly stronger protections for American workers and crucially serious enforcement mechanisms that ensure all parties will follow the agreement.

While I believe the agreement includes higher standards to preserve our environment, I do regret the administration was unwilling to make any commitments to address the very real and pressing issues of climate change.

Nevertheless, the USMCA is a major step forward for American workers and businesses fighting to compete in an increasingly interconnected world. It also puts to rest the President's threat to pull out of NAFTA without the certainty of a replacement.

A testament to the hard-fought negotiations is the backing of this agreement from stakeholders as diverse as the AFL-CIO and the United States Chamber of Commerce.

I support the passage of the USMCA implementing language, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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