1600 Daily
The White House • January 16, 2020
Out with NAFTA, in with USMCA!
In 2016, candidate Donald J. Trump made a promise that was familiar to voters across America: He would do away with the job-killing NAFTA as President and replace it with a better deal for American workers, businesses, and customers.
The promise wasn’t unique, but the result was. Today, after years of Washington neglect on trade, the Senate approved President Trump’s United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement (USMCA) to replace NAFTA by an overwhelming 89-10 margin.
Republicans and Democrats alike had long criticized NAFTA for its weak labor and environmental provisions, among other flaws. Many promised to scrap it and push for new negotiations with Canada and Mexico. “NAFTA’s shortcomings were evident when signed and we must now amend the agreement to fix them,” then-candidate Barack Obama pledged in 2008, the year he was elected President.
Nothing happened, and the Obama Administration slowly walked back its promises to get tough on trade. A decade later, President Trump would keep his.
Press Secretary Grisham: USMCA will deliver billions for our farmers
The new agreement is a landmark victory for American working- and middle-class families. The U.S. International Trade Commission estimates that within 5 years, USMCA could add up to $235 billion in new economic growth—and 589,000 jobs—to the U.S. economy. Just as important, the deal will put in place the strongest and most comprehensive labor protections of any trade agreement in American history.
While Democrats in Congress try to distract voters from the record-setting Trump Economy, the President keeps delivering on his signature campaign promises. Just yesterday, he joined the Vice Premier of China to sign a historic Phase 1 deal that addresses Beijing’s unfair trade practices, including intellectual property theft.
The unemployment rate is the lowest it’s been since 1969. America has its best economy in at least 50 years. With a major China trade deal in the books and USMCA set to replace NAFTA, it’s about to get even better.
Kellyanne Conway: How both Speaker Pelosi and President Trump made history
Video of the day: Phase 1 deal with China signed!
President Trump made history yesterday by completing Phase 1 of a new trade agreement with China. With China’s Vice Premier at the White House for the ceremony, the two leaders expressed hope for a future of harmony and shared prosperity.
“Together, we are righting the wrongs of the past and delivering a future of economic justice and security for American workers, farmers, and families,” President Trump said.
“The agreement is a credit to President Trump’s China strategy and a mark against his detractors.”
Protecting prayer in America’s schools
Religious freedom is one of the founding principles of our country. Since taking office, President Trump has tasked his Administration with doing everything it can to protect what many call our “first right” as citizens: the power to worship freely.
For National Religious Freedom Day, the Trump Administration is taking another step to safeguard our religious liberties. Today, the President updated Federal guidance on prayer and religious expression in public schools: To receive Federal funds, local educational agencies must confirm that their policies do not prevent or interfere with every student’s right to pray.
“From its opening pages, the story of America has been rooted in the truth that all men and women are endowed with the right to follow their conscience, worship freely, and live in accordance with their convictions,” President Trump said in a statement.
Read President Trump’s Proclamation for Religious Freedom Day, 2020.
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