Donald J. Trump, president, United States of America: “There’s no real advantage to [usmca], it’s irrelevant…”
Ranking Member Angie Craig (D-MN-02), House Agriculture Committee: “In our continued pursuit to feed, clothe and fuel the world, Mexico and Canada remain our top agricultural trade partners. Our relationship with these allies puts money in the pockets of family farmers and creates and supports jobs up and down the food supply chain.”
Chairman Glen “GT” Thompson (R-PA-15), House Agriculture Committee: “The USMCA has been a highly effective at expanding regional trade, pushing commerce – obviously ag and beyond – near $2 trillion annually, and making Mexico and Canada the United States’ top trading partners with significant gains in agriculture. USMCA has really served as a model, I think, trade agreement.”
Michael Litche, chief insights and optimization officer, Dairy Farmers of America: “USMCA remains the most commercially significant trade agreement for the U.S. dairy industry. Mexico and Canada collectively account for over 40 percent of all U.S. dairy exports by value. Mexico and Canada are by far the top two export destinations for U.S. dairy exports, and have been consistently for decades.”
Kristen Sawin, vice president of government and corporate affairs, Weyerhaeuser Company: “Free trade agreements—both bilateral and regional, like the USMCA—are increasingly important tools to expand U.S. exports of forest products, from sawlogs to pellets to biofuels.”
Dave Puglia, president and CEO, Western Growers: “In conclusion, the trade partnership between the United States, Canada, and Mexico is highly valuable for our members. At a time of unprecedented trade uncertainty in markets around the world, losing this agreement and the longstanding zero-tariff access for U.S. product into our top two export markets would be a severe blow to our members’ livelihoods.”
Jamie Beyer, executive committee member and Minnesota soybean farmer, American Soybean Association: “It is nearly impossible to overstate the importance of maintaining free, open, rules-based, and fair trade within the North American continent for U.S. agriculture. Soybean farmers are facing the most challenging landscape in a generation. Failure to renew USMCA would be catastrophic.”
Michael Schumpp, senior director of international affairs, Meat Institute: “USMCA has been essential to the American meat, poultry, and livestock sector’s unparalleled position within North America. Preserving the agreement is critical to the U.S. farm economy’s future growth.”
Neil Herrington, senior vice president, Americas Program, U.S. Chamber of Commerce: “The USMCA is vital to U.S. agriculture and agribusiness—and to North America’s ability to continue meeting regional and global demand for food—because it preserves critical market access for U.S. farmers and food producers, supports innovation, and strengthens investment across highly integrated, cross-border supply chains.”
Joseph V. Balagtas and Bernhard Dalheimer, agricultural economists, Perdue University: “The evidence assembled in this report makes clear that the food tariff preferences embedded in USMCA have delivered, and continue to deliver, substantial and measurable consumer benefits.”
Donald J. Trump, president, United States of America: “I don’t know that I will renew it… We don’t need anything that Canada has. We don’t need anything that Mexico has.”
