(Washington, DC) – Today, Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher made the following statement after the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) was signed into law:

“The USMCA will have a tremendous impact on our economy in Houston and in Texas, and I am glad to see it signed into law today.  As a Co-Chair of the New Democrat Coalition Trade Task Force, one of my priorities was to ensure that the new agreement benefits our workers and our businesses, and I was proud to work with Ambassador Lighthizer and our coalition to get it right and get it to a yes vote in the House,” saidCongresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.  “The USMCA is a bipartisan achievement that will bring positive change throughout the country, and it will set the standard for future trade agreements.”

The USMCA is a trade agreement that modernizes the original North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).  The agreement incorporates critical improvements to trade between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, including strong environmental standards, creates enforceable labor standards, and maintains Congress’ authority to bring down the cost of pharmaceutical drugs.  The USMCA passed the House of Representatives on December 19, 2019, and passed the Senate on January 16, 2020. 

In Texas, international trade supports an estimated 3 million jobs.  The state exported a record $315.9 billion in goods in 2018.  Mexico is Texas’ largest trading partner and Canada is the state’s second largest trading partner.  The USMCA enjoys support from a broad coalition of stakeholders, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO.

You can watch Congresswoman Fletcher’s floor speech on the USMCA here.