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Cleaver Supports Revised USMCA Trade Agreement

December 11, 2019

(Washington, D.C.) – Today, United States Representative Emanuel Cleaver, II (D-MO) released the statement below following the announcement that House Democrats have agreed on a deal to strengthen the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

After months of negotiations, I'm pleased to see an agreement reached on the USMCA and even happier to see that compromise is still possible in the U.S. Congress. The great moments of American history are marked by those who compromised legislatively to create the greater good. We cannot always have everything we want, but that is no excuse for getting nothing we want."

The revisions that House Democrats were able to secure in the updated USMCA will bolster the economy and implement critical protections for American workers that were sorely lacking in the original NAFTA and the USMCA as initially drafted. Additionally, the agreement will take substantive steps in protecting the environment and improving access to affordable prescription drugs for the American people. Although no deal is perfect, the compromise reached in the updated USMCA will be a substantial improvement for American labor, agriculture, and business moving forward.

From the unions and workers in the urban core of Kansas City to the farmers and ranchers in Odessa and Marshall, the updated USMCA is a win for the country. I'm hopeful Congress will continue working toward compromise on other major issues facing our nation. If we continue legislating with that mentality, there's no telling what we can get done for the American people.

Important revisions to the initial USMCA agreement include:

  • Prescription Drugs: Removed provisions on 10-year market exclusivity for biologics, some of the most expensive drugs on the market.
  • Protecting American Workers: Stronger enforcement mechanisms to ensure Mexico meets commitments to improve conditions and make it easier for workers to unionize. For the first time there will be a process that allows for the inspection of facilities that are not living up to their labor requirements.
  • Enforcement: Added rules to help the United States more successfully litigate labor, environmental, and other fact-intensive disputes.

Emanuel Cleaver, II is the U.S. Representative for Missouri's Fifth Congressional District, which includes Kansas City, Independence, Lee's Summit, Raytown, Grandview, Sugar Creek, Blue Springs, Grain Valley, Oak Grove, North Kansas City, Gladstone, Claycomo, and all of Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties. He is a member of the exclusive House Financial Services Committee; Chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, International Development, and Monetary Policy; member of the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress; member of the Committee on Homeland Security; and a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. For more information, please contact Juan Ramiro Sarmiento at 816-842-4545 or Ramiro.Sarmiento@mail.house.gov