WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Darin LaHood (IL-18) issued the following statement after President Trump, along with Mexico and Canada, announced a trilateral agreement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
“As I have stated a number of times, an updated NAFTA agreement must include both Canada and Mexico and the trilateral agreement announced today is a win for farmers, manufacturers, and workers in Illinois’ 18th District. As we are currently in the middle of harvest, farmers are trucking strong yields to the elevators. We are seeing lines and piles of corn and soybeans at the elevators and the news of this deal will come with eagerness as farmers work to sell their products to our neighboring markets” said Rep. LaHood. “Free trade is vital to Illinois’ 18th District and modernizing NAFTA into the 21st Century will ensure that exporters in Illinois have access to important international markets without being hit with burdensome tariffs, keeping them competitive in the global economy. I applaud the efforts of President Trump and his Administration in working to bring Canada and Mexico together for this agreement and look forward to reviewing the agreement text and working with my colleagues on the Ways and Means Committee and the Administration to ensure this revamped agreement protects the interests of central and west-central Illinois.”
