Renegotiating NAFTA: Improvement, Not Withdrawal.

As renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) begin to take place, a concerning scenario in which the United States decides to withdraw from the agreement has become main discussion among industries, trade associations, and the millions of workers whose jobs would be affected if the U.S walked out of NAFTA.

The agreement, which was established in 1994 with our neighbor countries, Canada and Mexico, has been one of the most important trade deals for the country and has strengthened political ties between the three. Under NAFTA, we have been able to protect intellectual property, lower the price of consumer goods, and boost our economy. Most importantly, the agreement has created millions of jobs in America’s agricultural, manufacturing and service sectors.

The current administration has stated on several occasions, its disagreement with the current deal, and how it hurts manufacturing across our nation. However, the United States should aim for an improvement of the agreement, instead of walking away from it. Let us focus on the ways we can make the deal better for us, for our American workers, and the companies that strengthen our nation’s economy. Furthermore, let us not forget that the agreement has tripled trade between the three countries, and that approximately 14 million American jobs still depend on our trade with Canada and Mexico.

We hope that the administration takes the right and necessary steps to look after our economy, but also after our workers, workers that contribute greatly to our nation and help support millions of industries across the country. We hope that these negotiations can lead to a more modern agreement witch strengthens industry sectors, protects our intellectual property, and creates opportunity in a fair and regulated trade environment.