New Blue Print for NAFTA?
Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR) introduced a resolution he calls a blueprint that lays out the principles he feels must be included in any replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
โFor the first time in nearly a quarter-century, we have an opportunity to replace NAFTA and build a fair trade policy that works for all Americans,โ said Rep. Peter DeFazio. โAfter working with labor stakeholders and fair trade advocates, we have come up with principles that will serve as the foundation of a sustainable trade policy that will bring jobs back to the U.S. while protecting Americaโs environment, workers, consumers, and sovereignty.โ
โRep. DeFazioโs NAFTA resolution provides a roadmap for the USTR and the administration to follow if they truly want to fix this broken trade agreement,โ said Teamsters General President Jim Hoffa. โFree trade agreements like NAFTA have undermined our manufacturing industry for decades, sending millions of jobs overseas. It is long past time to negotiate fair trade agreements that protect working families and provide good jobs here in America.โ
โAs weโve said all along in regards to renegotiating NAFTA, โthe devilโs in the details,โ said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. โThe blueprint being laid out today puts working people first. It promotes trade policies that create jobs, raise wages, breathe life into our communities and expand the American Dream. We are ready to move forward with a new direction on trade and this is just the beginning.โ
The principles laid out in Rep. DeFazioโs resolution, called the Blueprint for Americaโs Future Trade Policy, direct that any NAFTA replacement deal negotiated by President Trump must:
Require Strong Labor & Environmental Standardsโand Ensure They are Enforced
Add Strict, Enforceable Disciplines to Fight Against Currency Manipulation
Eliminate Procurement Provisions that Undermine Buy America
Require Imports and Foreign Companies Operating in the U.S. to Adhere to U.S. Laws
Lower the Cost of Prescription Drugs
End Tribunals that Undermine U.S. Trade Enforcement Laws, Such as NAFTAโs Chapter 19
Require Foreign Operators to Comply with U.S. Transportation Laws
Require Strong Rules of Origin on Cars, Auto Parts, and Other Manufactured Goods
Eliminate the Dangerous ISDS Provision that Undermines U.S. Sovereignty
Protect U.S. Energy Policy
The resolution directs President Trump to initiate the renegotiation of NAFTA no later than June 1, 2017. All of the provisions included in the resolution must be agreed to by Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. before the agreement can be approved.
If negotiations are not completed and all the provisions outlined in the resolution agreed to within one year of beginning talks, the resolution directs the President to consider withdrawing the U.S. from NAFTA.
