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Rep. Wild Statement on USMCA Agreement

December 10, 2019

WASHINGTON –Today, U.S. Representative Susan Wild (PA-07) released the following statement after Speaker Nancy Pelosi and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal announced a deal with United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer on the United States-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement:

"When I decided to run for this office, I promised to work across the aisle and represent all my constituents. I heard your calls for bipartisanship, which is why I worked so hard to secure a new North American Trade Agreement that protects our workers, our businesses, and our planet. A new deal requires good faith negotiations, and I am proud that we could put aside our political differences and come to an agreement.

"Back in June 2019, I led my freshmen colleagues in urging President Trump and USTR Lighthizer to revise provisions of the deal that would create another monopoly for Big Pharma in the global market and keep drug prices high. I also expressed reservations about a lack of enforcement mechanisms that could lead to the exploitation of American workers.

"For the last six months, I have worked to get to "yes" on USMCA. I have been in constant contact with various stakeholders and I recognize the importance of opening up global markets to businesses in our district. Today, I am proud to say that the USMCA will do just that and that the parties have agreed to take out the provisions that would have locked in high drug costs and harmed our workers. This deal—with contributions from Republicans and Democrats alike—is something we can be truly proud of.

"I commend our labor and business leaders, our farmers and rural leaders, USTR Lighthizer, Congressional leadership and members of Congress from both parties for working together to get a fair deal for the American people, and I look forward to voting to ratify the USMCA."

In June, Wild, a member of the New Democrat Coalition and the House Committee on Education and Labor led 27 freshman House Democrats in a letter sent to U.S. Trade Representative Lighthizer in which the lawmakers called for negotiations to be re-opened so changes could be made to strengthen labor standards and environmental terms and protect consumers from excessive increases in drug prices.