Governors Lobby for NAFTA Conclusion

Governors from more than 40 states met Washington, D.C., this weekend, for their annual winter meeting.  And international issues like the future of trade were among the topics discussed.  The timing coincides with the start of the seventh round of NAFTA talks, which began in Mexico City on Sunday.

A CTV News website says the governors are adding their voices to the deal’s supporters, who are calling for caution when it comes to a possible American withdrawal from the negotiations.  Arizona Governor Doug Ducey has already gone on record saying he wants “more trade, not less.”  He noted that nearly 150,000 jobs in Arizona are a direct result of trade and investment with Canada, which amounts to nearly one in every 20 jobs in his state.

Because U.S. midterm elections aren’t far off, the Trump Administration has toned down withdrawal rhetoric, but that doesn’t mean it’s completely off the table.  Farm-state governors have pleaded with the administration to stop making those threats, as has Kansas Senator Pat Roberts.  With Mexico looking to South American buyers for more commodities, Roberts says his, and other states could get hit hard by any additional uncertainty in the next few months.

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