Barnett Attends White House Signing of The USMCA
Rochester Hills Mayor Bryan K. Barnett attended President Trump’s signing of the United States – Mexico – Canada Agreement (USMCA) held on the South Lawn of the White House on January 29. The new trade agreement received bipartisan support in Congress and has been widely supported by the automotive industry and other manufacturers. It replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Barnett Attends White House Signing of The USMCA
Under the agreement, automakers will be required to produce cars with 75% of parts originating from the U.S., Canada or Mexico in order to qualify for duty-free import status. Barnett said “We applaud President Trump for signing the legislation to implement USMCA. This new bipartisan trade framework stands to make our country stronger by boosting businesses and increasing the number of jobs available to American workers in local communities across the country.”
Pamela Valentik, Manager of Economic Development for the City of Rochester Hills, was equally supportive. “Business leaders in our community, many of which are focused on the automotive industry, agree that USMCA makes them more competitive internationally, while providing much-needed certainty on trade and the confidence to make intelligent investment and expansion decisions,” she stated.
Barnett currently serves as the 77th President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and commented on the importance of the agreement to America’s mayors. “All along the way, mayors consistently called for the bipartisan spirit that guided these discussions and yielded a stronger agreement. We hope this can serve as a template moving forward as we continue to partner with Congress and the Administration on solving the biggest issues affecting the American people.”
The next step is for Canada to ratify the agreement and for all three countries to meet obligations outlined in the deal before it goes into effect.
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