The United States Senate just legislated a huge win for the American people with its passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This deal also marks a victory for President Trump, who promised to overhaul NAFTA during the 2016 general election.
USMCA has been largely bipartisan throughout the legislative process, and passed the Senate 89-10 Thursday afternoon. In the Nay column was Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), who expressed his disapproval of the landmark deal on account of climate concerns:
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says he is voting against USMCA. pic.twitter.com/AujFwKD81G
— Alex Salvi (@alexsalvinews) January 16, 2020
Minority Leader Schumer is joined by Sens. Booker (D-NJ), Gillibrand (D-NY), Harris (D-CA), Markey (D-MA), Reed (D-RI), Sanders (I-VT), Schatz (D-HI), Toomey (R-PA) and Whitehouse (D-RI). Sen. Sanders affirmed that he would not support USMCA as it is currently written during Tuesday night’s Democratic debate; Sens. Sanders and Warren split in this vote, with Warren supporting USMCA. Toomey’s no vote was expected; the senator from Pennsylvania has been an outspoken critic of this deal on account of economic growth and free trade.
USMCA is a long-overdue deal that is a win for the American worker, passed just one day after the Trump Administration’s landmark trade deal with China. USMCA will generate $68 billion in GDP, per Job Creators Network (JCN) President Alfredo Ortiz:
“This is an incredible week for America’s small business community, which represent 98 percent of US exporters. Yesterday, President Trump signed the phase one trade agreement with China, which increases US exports to that country by $200 billion. And just now, the Senate passed the UMSCA, which updates NAFTA for the internet age and increases GDP by $68 billion. These twin achievements are a testament to President Trump’s leadership,” he said in a statement.
USMCA is not only a win for American workers, and an achievement for President Trump, but the deal is also a glimmer of hope for bipartisanship when the best interests of Americans are at stake. Democrats who voted against this deal did not do so on account of any substantive policy disagreement, but rather their continuous refusal to give President Trump any wins.