AFBF is asking Congress to quickly pass the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, following a deal reached between House Democrats and the White House to move forward. Dave Salmonsen, AFBF senior congressional relations director, explained in a recent  Newsline interview that the announcement paves the way toward approval. 

“Talks between those two sides have been going on for several months,” Salmonsen said. “They came down to it, made agreement, primarily on some additional enforcement provisions. That seemed to be enough to wrap it up. And now we can move forward with the agreement and Congress can soon – we hope very soon – look at this and we hope to get it passed.”

“Ratification of the USMCA would build on the momentum of the U.S.-Japan agreement, which gave a major boost to American agricultural products in our fourth-largest market, and send a signal that the U.S. is back in business in the international marketplace,” said Zippy Duvall, president of the American Farm Bureau Federation.

House Democrats and the White House on Dec. 10 announced they had come to an agreement on enforcement-related provisions that had been holding up Democratic support needed for passage of the USMCA implementing legislation, which the Trump administration is expected to soon send to Capitol Hill.

Once the implementation legislation is sent to the Hill, lawmakers have 60 legislative days to approve it. While the House is expected to vote before Congress adjourns for the year on Dec. 20, Senate leaders said their chamber will take up the implementation legislation in the new year.

Farm Bureau is encouraging farmers and ranchers to urge their lawmakers to move USMCA along as quickly as possible.