Norcross Statement on US-Mexico NAFTA Agreement

CHERRY HILL, NJ – Following news that the United States and Mexico have made an agreement to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ-01) – an electrician by trade – issued the following statement:

“Any trade deal must first and foremost benefit American workers. Our workforce clearly suffered from NAFTA, and in South Jersey alone 19,500 manufacturing jobs have been lost since NAFTA came into force, which is simply unacceptable.

“As we review this bilateral agreement, I’ll be making sure we are raising wages for workers, safeguarding workers’ rights and reducing outsourcing. Additionally, the deal needs strong enforcement protocols and a timeframe for American workers to review the terms of the agreement.

“Our country can truly benefit by moving away from the old, job-killing model that the corporate lobby drafted, and I will continue to urge the Administration to work toward a strong, trilateral deal that puts workers first.”

In August 2017, as the renegotiation period officially began, Norcross sent a letter with colleagues to U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer urging an open and transparent trade negotiating process.

Norcross also stood with House colleagues in calling for renegotiations to focus on American workers when the Trump Administration sent the formal notice of renegotiation to Congress. (Photos from the press conference can be found here.) And in July 2017, Norcross commented on the announced NAFTA renegotiation principles.

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