BUSINESS/CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S., Canada and Mexico are focusing on rewriting the auto rules at the center of the North American Free Trade Agreement as negotiators face hard deadlines in an election year, raising the possibility of less drastic changes to other controversial parts of Nafta, according to people following the talks. A Republican […]
Category: NAFTA
5/9/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NAFTA/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The relative caution that constrained President Trump for much of his first year in office has been cast aside, and an emboldened commander in chief is finally reshaping foreign policy to reflect the ‘America First’ philosophy he promised during his campaign. Having shed or sidelined some of the top advisers […]
5/1/2018
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s top trade official wants to finish a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement by the middle of the month to get a revised pact to a vote in Congress by the end of this year. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told a gathering at the U.S. […]
5/1/2018
CHINA/NAFTA/NORTH KOREA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Delegation heading to China to begin talks on the Massive Trade Deficit that has been created with our Country. Very much like North Korea, this should have been fixed years ago, not now. Same with other countries and NAFTA…but it will all get done. Great Potential for USA!” -Donald Trump, […]
4/24/2018
CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday [4-24-18] that a new North American Free Trade Agreement could be agreed quickly, as Canada hailed progress on forging new rules for the auto industry, the pivotal issue in talks to revamp the 24-year-old accord. Ministers from the United States, Canada and Mexico responsible for […]
4/24/2018
ENERGY/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is at odds with American companies over a proposed rule change to the North American Free Trade Agreement that is endangering a bright spot—energy—in contentious treaty talks. All three Nafta countries—the U.S, Canada and Mexico—agree that a new treaty should aid the burgeoning energy trade. Under negotiation are initiatives […]
4/23/2018
IMMIGRATION/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump threatened to bar asylum-seeking Central American migrants from entering the U.S. illegally on Monday [4-23-18] while dangling the possibility of making stricter border enforcement a demand in NAFTA negotiations talks with Mexico. The president, who earlier this month decried reports of an incoming ‘caravan’ of migrants marching across Mexico […]
4/23/2018
CONGRESS/GOP/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is pushing hard to finish talks on the North American Free Trade Agreement over the next two weeks and is considering bare-knuckle tactics to get Congress to approve a new deal. President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled his willingness to withdraw from Nafta entirely if he doesn’t get a […]
4/23/2018
BORDER/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Mexico, whose laws on immigration are very tough, must stop people from going through Mexico and into the U.S. We may make this a condition of the new NAFTA Agreement. Our Country cannot accept what is happening! Also, we must get Wall funding fast.” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 23, 2018 8:51 am […]
4/23/2018
IMMIGRATION/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump threatened to make Mexican immigration control a condition of a new NAFTA agreement on Monday [4-23-18], saying the southern U.S. neighbor must stop illegal immigrants from getting into the United States…The U.S. president made similar comments linking NAFTA, an acronym for the North American Free Trade Agreement, and immigration […]
4/11/2018
CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is pushing to reach a deal on the North American Free Trade Agreement by the beginning of May. But the timeline could be complicated by its refusal to budge from contentious proposals aimed at bringing manufacturing back to the United States. The administration has not significantly softened its position […]
4/6/2018
BORDER/IMMIGRATION/MEXICO/MILITARY/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “After days of President Donald Trump’s aggressive rhetoric against immigration via Mexico, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto delivered a stern response to his US counterpart, telling him that ‘nothing and no one stands above the dignity of Mexico.’ The five-minute-long speech was delivered in Spanish and posted in a video on the […]
4/5/2018
CANADA/CHINA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “After months of fraught negotiations and stalled talks, the Trump administration is aiming to announce a preliminary deal on the North American Free Trade Agreement this month, moving to resolve one trading conflict as a separate clash with China looms. A final agreement is far from guaranteed, but the White House is […]
4/3/2018
BORDER/IMMIGRATION/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Tuesday [4-3-18] warned that the North American Free Trade Agreement was ‘in play’ and threatened to end aid to Honduras and other Central American countries if an organized protest march of 1,000 asylum seekers traveling through Mexico reaches the U.S. border…Mr. Trump’s threats on Nafta come as American, […]
4/3/2018
BORDER/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The big Caravan of People from Honduras, now coming across Mexico and heading to our ‘Weak Laws’ Border, had better be stopped before it gets there. Cash cow NAFTA is in play, as is foreign aid to Honduras and the countries that allow this to happen. Congress MUST ACT NOW!” -Donald Trump, […]
4/1/2018
BORDER/IMMIGRATION/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump, blaming Democrats and the Mexican government for an increasingly ‘dangerous’ flow of illegal immigrants, unleashed a series of fiery tweets on Sunday [4-1-2018] in which he vowed ‘NO MORE DACA DEAL’ and threatened to walk away from the North American Free Trade Agreement. Minutes after wishing the nation a happy […]
4/1/2018
BORDER/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WALL: “Mexico is doing very little, if not NOTHING, at stopping people from flowing into Mexico through their Southern Border, and then into the U.S. They laugh at our dumb immigration laws. They must stop the big drug and people flows, or I will stop their cash cow, NAFTA. NEED WALL!” –Donald Trump, […]
3/28/2018
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WTO: “Trade pacts typically require years of detailed negotiations. The North American Free Trade Agreement needed two years. Creation of the World Trade Organization took eight. The Trump administration wants to remake global trade in a matter of months. To secure agreements quickly, the White House has taken a contentious approach to […]
3/21/2018
CHINA/GOP/NAFTA/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ trade policies took a bashing Wednesday [3-21-18] from free-trade House Republicans, angry and fearful about the prospect of global retaliation and how the policies are playing back home. From the uncertainty caused by NAFTA renegotiations, to his imposition of tariffs on steel and aluminum, to his […]
3/10/2018
CANADA/CHILE/COLOMBIA/IMMIGRATION/MEXICO/NAFTA/PERU/TPP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump will make the first visit of his presidency to Latin America next month, the White House said on Saturday [3-9-18], traveling to Peru for a summit meeting of Western Hemisphere nations where he will convene with a group of leaders who have criticized his statements and policies on immigration. The […]
3/8/2018
CANADA/FOREIGN POLICY/MEXICO/NAFTA/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [3-8-18] said he would maintain flexibility to adjust proposed metals tariffs on a country-by-country basis, hours before he is expected to meet with metal industry executives and workers to discuss the new trade actions… The president said tariffs might not be necessary on Canada and […]
3/7/2018
NAFTA/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has remained open-minded as he determines final details of his promised tariffs on steel and aluminum, a top administration official said on Wednesday [3-7-18]. The White House said an announcement is still on track for this week… Despite fears from US allies and Washington Republicans that the measure […]
3/6/2018
NAFTA/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs may not apply to Canada and Mexico as the U.S. negotiates deals with those countries, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Tuesday [3-6-18]. Testifying at a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing, Mnuchin faced increasing opposition from fellow Republicans to the president’s tariff proposals announced last week… […]
3/5/2018
NAFTA/PAUL RYAN/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “House Speaker Paul Ryan broke with President Donald Trump over his decision to impose tariffs on imported aluminum and steel products, setting the stage for a high-profile policy fight between Republican leaders and the White House. Mr. Ryan’s concerns match those of many Republican and Democratic lawmakers, who fear the […]
3/5/2018
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “President Donald Trump on Monday [3-5-18] increased pressure on two top U.S. trading partners, saying he would lift planned tariffs on steel imports only if Mexico and Canada sign a new version of the North American Free Trade Agreement, or Nafta… The broad duties on steel and aluminum that Mr. Trump announced on […]
3/5/2018
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “We have large trade deficits with Mexico and Canada. NAFTA, which is under renegotiation right now, has been a bad deal for U.S.A. Massive relocation of companies & jobs. Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum will only come off if new & fair NAFTA agreement is signed. Also, Canada must… treat our […]
2/28/2018
LABOR/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and aides have been consulting with American unions and congressional Democrats over the past few weeks to assemble new proposals aimed at boosting Mexican workers’ rights and wages in talks to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement. The intensifying consultations with labor are part of a gambit […]
2/13/2018
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump suggested on Tuesday [2-13-18] that the United States was likely to impose restrictions on imported metals, reviving the prospects for a continuing investigation whose future has been called into question amid months of pushback and delays. Meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers, the president said such restrictions would […]
2/7/2018
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Lawmakers from both parties urged President Donald Trump’s top negotiator in talks over the North American Free Trade Agreement to maintain dispute-resolution mechanisms that have been a central part of the 24-year-old pact. The dispute-arbitration systems embedded in Nafta have been a flashpoint in the talks, where Mr. Trump’s administration has […]
1/29/2018
CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Negotiations to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement survived what was seen as the crucial sixth round, with the U.S., Canada and Mexico tackling difficult issues even as tensions flared between the U.S. and Canada over auto-industry rules… Still, Mr. Lighthizer and his Mexican and Canadian counterparts nodded to progress […]
1/28/2018
CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Mexico and Canada have rejected a proposal by the Trump administration to remake a corporate arbitration system that is a key part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to people involved in talks to update the pact. The two countries’ resistance to the U.S. plan to change the system, […]
1/22/2018
CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Canadian and Mexican trade officials in Montreal on Sunday [1-21-18] began laying out proposals aimed at convincing their U.S. counterparts not to put an end to the North American Free Trade Agreement. Delegations from Canada and Mexico will present an array of responses to some of the Trump administration’s most hard-line […]
1/10/2018
CANADA/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WTO: “Canada has filed a sweeping trade case against the United States at the World Trade Organization, lobbing a diplomatic grenade at the Trump administration’s ‘America First’ approach amid an increasingly embattled trade relationship between the longstanding North American allies. The trade case could exacerbate tensions between the two nations, which have […]
1/10/2018
CANADA/FOREIGN POLICY/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “…As Nafta talks have grown contentious in areas such as national content in auto manufacturing, the Canadian side is working behind the scenes to press its agenda at back-channel meetings away from the negotiating table. Canada’s Liberal government, which has adopted a more pugnacious tone with the Trump administration on trade, […]
1/8/2018
AGRICULTURE/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump told a gathering of farmers Monday [1-8-18] that he is seeking a better trade deal with Canada and Mexico that will benefit both the agricultural industry and manufacturing, but he didn’t reiterate previous warnings on withdrawing from the North American Free Trade Agreement… Mr. Trump has said he […]
12/1/2017
CANADA/CHINA/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Canada is pursuing expanded trade with China as part of a pivot to Asia that comes as significant differences cast a shadow over negotiations to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to arrive in China on Sunday [12-3-17] for a trip that will include stops in […]
11/21/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The fifth round of talks among the United States, Mexico and Canada over the North American Free Trade Agreement drew to a close on Tuesday with negotiators still at odds. Over a week of meetings in Mexico City, officials hammered out more technical details of the trade agreement, but barely broached […]
11/16/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As officials for the U.S., Canada and Mexico convene in Mexico City this week for talks to remake the North American Free Trade Agreement, the countries’ top trade officials will stay home, leaving their working-level teams to dig into the most difficult issues. Their absence captures the difficult state of the […]
11/14/2017
COMMERCE/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/WILBUR ROSS: “Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross defended the Trump administration’s hardball strategy for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, suggesting that the U.S. can pressure Mexico and Canada into big concessions because they have more to lose if the pact collapses… The likely result, Mr. Ross said, was that the two countries will […]
11/9/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The probability of a U.S. withdrawal from the North American Free Trade Agreement is roughly 1 in 4, according to private-sector forecasters, who said such a move would likely weigh on economic growth. President Donald Trump has threatened to pull the U.S. out of Nafta if efforts to renegotiate it fail. […]
11/9/2017
MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “American trade negotiators are taking aggressive measures to close what they describe as a Mexican ‘back door’ through which steel and other auto-manufacturing components produced outside North America are sold tariff-free in the U.S. The U.S. trade representative has proposed a significant expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement so-called […]
10/24/2017
CANADA/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Bank of Canada watchers unanimously believe the central bank will hit pause on Wednesday [10-25-17] when it releases its latest policy decision and won’t raise rates after two consecutive increases. There is also less certainty among analysts about the timing of the next rate increase in Canada due to the negative turn in […]
10/15/2017
NAFTA/TAXES/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump’s presidency has so far been largely good for big business and investors, with deregulation in train, hopes for corporate tax cuts, and stocks hitting records. But the risk of a serious jolt now looms: the potential end of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which has governed continental commerce […]
10/11/2017
CANADA/COMMERCE/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump, speaking alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, opened the door to separate trade deals with Canada and Mexico to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement and repeated his warnings that the U.S. could withdraw from the pact… Asked if he would consider separate deals with Canada and […]
10/11/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration has honed its strategy for remaking the North American Free Trade Agreement in advance of the next round of talks starting Wednesday [10-11-17]—by proposing a number of specific ways to water down the pact and reduce its influence on companies. U.S. trade officials have made that theme clear […]
10/10/2017
COMMERCE/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. Chamber of Commerce urged the Trump administration on Tuesday [10-10-17] to moderate its stance in the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, describing some of Washington’s demands as ‘poison pill proposals’ that could doom the talks… The group has argued repeatedly in recent weeks that NAFTA is […]
10/6/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The biggest business organization in the U.S. is opposing key proposals by the Trump administration to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement, adding to growing tensions over the ongoing negotiations. ‘We’re increasingly concerned about the state of play in negotiations,’ John Murphy, senior vice president for international policy at the […]
10/5/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration’s chief trade negotiator plans to propose significant changes to a central aspect of the North American Free Trade Agreement, in a bid to force auto factories in Mexico to move back to the U.S., according to people briefed on the plan. The proposal introduces a requirement that cars […]
9/26/2017
LABOR/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “The Trump administration on Tuesday [9-26-17] introduced a proposal aimed at boosting labor standards among the member countries in the North American Free Trade Agreement, but it earned an immediate rebuke from union officials for falling short. At the current round of Nafta renegotiations, which are set to end Wednesday, U.S. negotiators put […]
9/18/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The top United States trade negotiator said Monday [9-18-17] that it was unclear whether Canada, Mexico and the United States could reach a deal to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement within the ambitious timetable set by the Trump administration… The Trump administration has carved out a narrow path to […]
9/18/2017
JOHN KELLY/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP PEOPLE: “White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has been increasingly sidelined during meetings and cut off from his once-regular access to the Oval Office as chief of staff John Kelly has moved to impose greater order on the West Wing. But Navarro, a hard-liner on trade who has clashed with his more […]
9/8/2017
COMMERCE/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/WILBUR ROSS: “Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Friday [9-8-17] backed President Donald Trump’s ever-present threat of terminating NAFTA, saying that withdrawal would be ‘the right thing’ to do if trilateral talks between Mexico, Canada and the U.S. are not successful. Ross noted that even though the renegotiation is in its early stages, the Trump […]
9/5/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “U.S., Canadian and Mexican officials, buffeted by political disagreements and controversial moves by the Trump administration, notched relatively minor progress in recent days in a big push to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement this year. The second round of Nafta talks in Mexico City wasn’t intended to result in major breakthroughs […]
9/1/2017
MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The second round of talks to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement begins here Friday [9-1-17] under a dark cloud after both the U.S. and Mexico raised the stakes dramatically in recent days. U.S. President Donald Trump has jolted the tone of the meetings with renewed calls to pull out […]
8/30/2017
MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Mexico’s leftist presidential hopeful, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, said the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement should be suspended until the country’s election next year, and he warned he would renegotiate any deal that harms Mexico’s interests if he wins the vote… His remarks came as government officials from Mexico, the […]
8/30/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As the United States, Canada and Mexico head for a second round of talks this weekend to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement, President Trump is ramping up his bluster about simply terminating the pact instead. But many former trade negotiators and experts agree that the president’s threat to cancel […]
8/29/2017
LABOR/MEXICO/NAFTA: “Emma Palacios started working in factories in this city on the Texas border in 1994, the year the North American Free Trade Agreement came into effect. Ever since, she says, it has been easy to find work at the scores of U.S.-owned factories that opened here. What’s proved harder to find is decent pay. […]
8/28/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “The Trump administration said Monday [8-28-17] it would delay for two months the imposition of penalties on imports of Canadian lumber, citing continuing bilateral negotiations over the nettlesome trade dispute… Mr. Ross said that penalties which had been scheduled to take effect Sept. 7 would now be delayed until Nov. 14. The U.S. […]
8/27/2017
NAFTA: “We are in the NAFTA (worst trade deal ever made) renegotiation process with Mexico & Canada.Both being very difficult,may have to terminate?” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 27, 2017 08:51am […]
8/24/2017
CRIME/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Big internet firms are seeking to get liability protections they enjoy in the U.S. inserted into a renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement, adding fuel to a fight over the legal shield that some lawmakers say has facilitated online sex trafficking. The proposed change to Nafta would mean online platforms in all three […]
8/24/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Three of the nation’s most prominent trade associations warned that any efforts to weaken arbitration panels at the heart of the North American Free Trade Agreement ‘will serve to undermine business community support’ for Nafta renegotiations. The letter to the Trump administration from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, National Association of Manufacturers and […]
8/21/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “The river that divides the U.S. and Canada in this border town also cuts directly through the Twin Rivers Paper Co.’s wood pulp and paper operation. The two-country arrangement has worked for years in the tightly integrated operation, with a Twin Rivers Canadian lumber mill up the road supplying wood chips to a […]
8/16/2017
NAFTA/NEGOTIATIONS/TRADE DEALS: “Talks to remake the North American Free Trade Agreement are starting off today with an early dispute—over how to settle disputes. Under Nafta, the U.S., Mexico and Canada have resolved tariff conflicts by submitting them to expert panels that can sustain or overturn tariffs. The system has helped guide the trilateral relationship for […]
8/14/2017
CANADA/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Canada laid down a tough line ahead of talks on modernizing NAFTA on Monday, suggesting it could walk away if the United States pushed to remove a key dispute-settlement mechanism in the trade deal. Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, giving the most substantive outline yet of Canada’s goals, said she was ‘very optimistic’ the […]
8/7/2017
CANADA/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Canada on Monday [8-7-17] played down the prospect of a resolution with the U.S. over a trade spat on lumber imports before the start of talks to revamp the North American Free Trade Agreement, denting enthusiasm raised by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month for such an outcome. The inability to cut such […]
7/19/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The Trump administration on Wednesday [7-19-17] tapped a veteran trade official involved in the original North American Free Trade Agreement to lead new talks with Canada and Mexico on an overhaul of the agreement starting next month. John Melle, the current assistant U.S. trade representative for the Western Hemisphere, will […]
7/19/2017
LABOR/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A day after the Trump administration unveiled its objectives for renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement, U.S. businesses and a major labor coalition sparred over the merits of an international arbitration system embedded in the agreement with Canada and Mexico. The arbitration provision, contained in Nafta’s Chapter 11 and known as […]
7/18/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration released its road map for remaking the North American Free Trade Agreement that aims to preserve ‘Buy America’ provisions and reduce the U.S. trade deficit, but steps back from some of President Donald Trump’s most fiery campaign rhetoric on trade with Mexico and Canada. The blueprint for a […]
7/17/2017
LABOR/LOBBYING/NAFTA/WTO: “The U.S. dairy lobby is ratcheting up the pressure on Canada as talks to renegotiate NAFTA draw closer, demanding concessions the Canadian government looks unwilling to grant, according to people familiar with the file. The result could be a brawl that sours efforts to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement, under which Canada […]
7/17/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States on Monday [7-17-17] launched the first salvo in the renegotiation of the 23-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), saying its top priority for the talks was shrinking the U.S. trade deficit with Canada and Mexico. In a much-anticipated document sent to lawmakers, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer […]
7/17/2017
LABOR/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “U.S. labor union leaders and Democratic lawmakers on Monday [7-17-17] reminded U.S. President Donald Trump they expect him to keep election campaign promises to protect American workers in NAFTA talks, but they stopped short of demanding termination of the 1994 trade pact with Canada and Mexico. Their comments came hours before U.S. Trade […]
7/4/2017
ECONOMY/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “It seems President Trump is ready to start rolling back globalization. Let’s hope he doesn’t blow up the postwar economic order. While Mexican negotiators waited for the United States to make its first move in its proposed renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement, the president last week turned on […]
6/27/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Over the past quarter century, the North American Free Trade Agreement has done much to transform the region’s economy, rewiring supply chains, shaking up labor markets, altering consumer choices and integrating border towns. The vast range of commerce touched by the pact will be evident this week, when the Trump administration […]
6/26/2017
MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Of all the industries thrown into question by President Trump’s promise to upend free trade with Mexico, natural gas is easily one of the most important. More than a quarter of Mexico’s electricity is powered by American natural gas, leaving it especially vulnerable to any upheavals from a trade battle with […]
6/16/2017
MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Friction between the U.S. and Mexico over trade is starting to cut into sales for U.S. farmers and agricultural companies, adding uncertainty for an industry struggling with low commodity prices and excess supply. Over the first four months of 2017, Mexican imports of U.S. soybean meal, used to feed poultry and livestock, dropped […]
6/6/2017
FOREIGN POLICY/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRADE DEALS: “Mexico agreed to demands from the United States to cut exports of refined sugar, striking a deal on Tuesday [6-6-17] in a contentious trade negotiation that was closely watched as a prologue to talks on renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement. The dispute stemmed from complaints by American sugar refiners that […]
5/18/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration informed U.S. lawmakers that it intends to launch formal negotiations on overhauling the North American Free Trade Agreement, a big bet by President Donald Trump that he can win concessions from Canada and Mexico, and push a deal through Congress. Mr. Trump, who called the trade deal a […]
4/27/2017
CANADA/MEXICO/NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump told the leaders of Canada and Mexico Wednesday he was not immediately planning to end the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact which he railed against as a candidate and as recently as last week declared was harmful to US workers. In a description of Trump’s phone calls […]
4/27/2017
CANADA/FOREIGN POLICY/MEXICO/NAFTA: “I received calls from the President of Mexico and the Prime Minister of Canada asking to renegotiate NAFTA rather than terminate. I agreed… subject to the fact that if we do not reach a fair deal for all, we will then terminate NAFTA. Relationships are good-deal very possible!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, April 27, […]
4/26/2017
NAFTA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP EXEC ORDER: “The Trump administration is considering an executive order on withdrawing the U.S. from NAFTA — and initial reaction on Capitol Hill to the planned move has been mostly negative. A draft order has been submitted for final stages of review and could be unveiled late this week or early next, […]
3/30/2017
NAFTA/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s campaign promise to bring sweeping changes to the ‘terrible’ North American Free Trade Agreement just got a dose of reality. An eight-page draft letter to Congress outlining the administration’s negotiating objectives shows how daunting it will be to translate campaign rhetoric to real policy changes that will achieve […]
3/15/2017
2016 ELECTION/CHINA/NAFTA/WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION: “Since NAFTA was approved, we’ve lost nearly one-third of our manufacturing jobs in the United States. Since China entered the World Trade Organization, we’ve lost 60,000 factories. Hard to believe. Our trade deficit last year reached nearly $800 billion. Who’s making these deals? I can take anybody in the audience — […]