Jones Pushes Buy American Policies in NAFTA Renegotiations | Eastern North Carolina Now

    News Release:

    WASHINGTON, DC     Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3) is continuing his long fight for American jobs. This week, he encouraged the Trump administration to insist on strong Buy American rules as part of the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico. The administration is in the initial phases of attempting to renegotiate NAFTA to get a better deal for America, a process which Congressman Jones strongly supports. As part of those talks, Jones and nineteen of his congressional colleagues urged the administration to require that any new deal include strong Buy American rules that are fully enforceable and cannot be abrogated by Mexican and Canadian companies.

    Such rules would be a dramatic improvement over those the Clinton administration negotiated as part of the original NAFTA agreement. Those original rules have disadvantaged American workers and companies for over 20 years. As Jones' letter to the administration points out:

• "The current language of NAFTA forces the federal government to consider bids from Mexico and Canada when making procurement decisions and prevents the full application of Buy American laws. Specifically, Chapter Ten of NAFTA currently requires all NAFTA countries to give non-discriminatory national treatment to firms in the other signatory countries. These international firms are required to be held at the same preference as domestic firms. Although Buy American statutes require the federal government to give preference to American made products, NAFTA makes full compliance with this law impossible and prevents the federal government from bolstering domestic manufacturing."

    "Buy American laws ensure that hard-working Americans' tax dollars are spent on products that are made domestically and stimulate local economies," said Jones and his colleagues. "It is vital that our trade agreements are negotiated to allow domestic content preferences. Strong Buy American laws support manufacturing jobs, decrease the trade deficit and support the Administration's 'Buy American, Hire American' initiative."

    Congressman Jones is a long-time leader in the Buy American cause, and a past co-chairman of the Congressional Buy American Caucus. He has also been a vocal opponent of bad trade deals negotiated by previous administrations, including NAFTA and CAFTA.

    Click here for the full letter sent to the Trump administration, specifically U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer.

    For additional information, please contact Allison Tucker in Congressman Jones' office at (202) 225-3415 or allison.tucker@mail.house.gov.