The Salt Lake Chamber joined more than 200 companies, business and trade organizations and associations calling for congressional approval of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement announced earlier this year by Pres. Donald Trump. The new coalition represents farmers and ranchers, manufacturers, service providers and technology companies, the chamber said in a press statement.
The chamber said the newly formed USMCA Coalition will make the case to Congress for expeditious passage of the agreement and will work to educate the American public about the benefits of the new deal. It said the effort will harness the advocacy strength of a broad membership of companies, trade associations and chambers of commerce.
“As an export state, Utah’s thriving economy is directly tied to our ability to export what we make, grow and build,” said Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber. “For years, our greatest export partners have been our neighbors to our north and south. Utah’s exports to Canada have doubled over the last five years and those to Mexico have tripled. An updated free-trade agreement would provide Utah companies both predictability and stability, which is especially important for those small businesses who rely on trade deals to set the rules of the game.”
The USMCA was negotiated by the Trump administration to replace the North America Free Trade Agreement. “At more than 20 years old, NAFTA was in need of updating and we are glad to see USMCA includes intellectual property protections and digital trade provisions,” said Miller. “Our hope is that this is an indication of good things to come for our other important trade markets like China and Southeast Asia.”