Murphy Votes for USMCA in Big Win for North Carolina | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Washington, D.C.     Congressman Greg Murphy issued the following statement after voting for the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which passed the House of Representatives today. USMCA is a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Mexico and Canada are America's two largest international trading partners. As required by the Constitution, USMCA could not be considered in the Senate until it first passed the House of Representatives, since the agreement pertains to federal revenue.

    "The House of Representatives has finally passed the USMCA, and I am proud to have voted for it. Although it took over a year of persistent urging by House Republicans to bring it to a vote, I'm pleased USMCA has finally cleared the first hurdle to becoming ratified. If Democrats were not so obsessed with impeaching the president, I have no doubt this important trade agreement would have been passed sooner to the benefit of North Carolinians and the American people. Despite constant Democratic resistance, President Trump delivered on a promise that his two predecessors made but never kept, and that was to renegotiate NAFTA for the 21st Century.

    "Last year in North Carolina alone, $10.4 billion worth of goods were exported to Canada and Mexico. Nearly 32,000 jobs in our state depend on manufacturing exports to these countries. Considering Mexico and Canada are our two largest international trading partners, it is imperative for the United States to have free and fair trade with both of them. This agreement achieves exactly that. In addition, USMCA modernizes trade with our North American neighbors by including a chapter on digital trade-something that does not exist in the outdated pages of NAFTA. This is a big win for President Trump, but more importantly, farmers and manufacturers in North Carolina and our country as a whole."

• Michael Mead
• Communications Director
• Congressman Greg Murphy, M.D. (NC-03)
• Ph: (202) 225-3415
• michael.mead@mail.house.gov