While the top U.S. trade negotiator said the process of getting the USMCA on the path to ratification is going smoothly, Gary Crawford reports many lawmakers are voicing concerns about one particular aspect of the pending trade agreement between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
AFBF Trade Official on USMCA
An American Farm Bureau (AFBF) trade official says reopening the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA) could cause new negotiating headaches and ratification delays, but it may be the only way to satisfy House Democrats. Farm Bureau trade advisor Dave Salmonsen says the next few weeks of talks between House Democrats and President Trump’s trade team will determine the way forward on …
USDA Will Defend Trade Aid at WTO
The World Trade Organization (WTO) has been receiving complaints about the aid money that U.S. farmers are getting from the government. However, Ag Secretary Sonny Perdue says he’s not concerned that the payments will be a problem. “We had to design a program very carefully to make sure we do not violate the WTO limit,” he said to reporters in …
Cattlemen Launch Campaign to Pass USMCA
Last week, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) launched a media campaign urging Congress to pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The campaign, centered around a new webpage, features personal stories from cattle and beef producers across the country who want Congress to ratify the USMCA as quickly as possible. “The USMCA keeps the highly successful framework for U.S. beef trade in …
U.S., China Reach Tentative Truce on Tariffs
(NAFB) — The U.S. and China have agreed to forgo the next round of tariffs that President Trump threatened to impose on $300 billion in Chinese goods. That report comes from both Politico and the South China Morning Post. It comes ahead of a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping this weekend at the G-20 Summit in Osaka, …
Perdue Says Farmers Are “A Casualty” in Trade War
(NAFB) — Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue acknowledged in an interview earlier this week that farmers are “casualties” in President Trump’s trade war with China. Perdue told CNN he didn’t think a trade deal was likely this weekend when Trump and Chinese President Xi meet in Japan. He’s now hoping a deal can be reached by the end of this …
Waiting on USDA Trade Aid
It’s been just over a month now since the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced they will be taking several actions to assist farmers in response to trade damage from unjustified retaliation and trade disruption. While many in agriculture are waiting for more details, there have been various questions as to how the $16 billion in programs will be implemented. …
Summer Passage of USMCA Looking Doubtful
(NAFB) — Key lawmakers in Washington, D.C. cast significant doubt on the possibility of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA) getting passed through Congress yet this summer. This comes in spite of the fact that political pressure is ramping up. Congress has a long summer recess rapidly approaching. Politico says it’s looking like Democrats are sticking to their ideas that the …
Working with Administration on Trade
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) deal, minus the U.S., took effect a few months ago. President Trump withdrew the U.S. from the TPP soon after taking office. But some of the new Presidential candidates have said they feel the U.S should try to get back in to it. National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Senior Director of International Trade, Kent Bacus, was recently asked …
Senate in Mexico Ratifies USMCA
It has been announced that the Senate in Mexico officially passed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), making it the first country to ratify the new North American trade pact. As Gary Crawford reports, the trade deal is one step closer to becoming an operational reality.