9/13/2018

AUTO INDUSTRY/JOBS/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Proposed changes to North American auto trade rules expected in the new NAFTA pact are unlikely to significantly increase U.S. manufacturing jobs or boost wages in Mexico, an analyst at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. said…That blunt assessment of one of the major components of the new U.S.-Mexico deal could spell trouble for President Donald Trump when he presents Congress with a fully revamped NAFTA deal. Trump promised during the 2016 campaign to renegotiate NAFTA to bring manufacturing jobs back to United States and to level the playing field with lower-cost production in Mexico, which has seen its auto industry employment rise drastically over the past 20 years. In a call with reporters on Monday, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer described the U.S.-Mexico agreement as an ‘absolutely terrific’ pact that would help reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Mexico, much of which is in autos.”

Doug Palmer, “Trump’s new NAFTA auto rules may not boost U.S. jobs,” Politico, September 13, 2018 2:07 pm