Kaptur statement on President Trump's Executive Order on NAFTA

Toledo – Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (OH-09) issued the following statement on President Donald Trump's Executive Order on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):

"My hope is that President Trump's Executive Order on NAFTA will address the urgency of stopping U.S. job outsourcing, especially in the manufacturing sector, and to keep the promises on the economy he made just a few months ago to the people of Ohio and the Great Lakes region. In fact, NAFTA is a cruel economic regime imposed on the people of three nations. Thus, I expect more than lip service from the Trump Administration on NAFTA. NAFTA is responsible for massive job outsourcing, and end runs around a democratic rule of law. President Trump carried Ohio largely on his promises to correct this massive job outsourcing and gigantic trade imbalance that has hammered Ohio's workers and businesses since NAFTA's passage. NAFTA was the first major trade agreement that locked down the "free trade" framework ‎that put American workers and communities at the back of the line. The NAFTA model required no reciprocity, no environmental standards, no fair labor standards, and frankly, no just relations between nations. NAFTA has delivered a cumulative trade deficit worldwide since 1993 of $48.5 billion, which translates into tens of thousands of real and continuing job losses ceded to unbalanced trade deals.

"President Trump has repeatedly called NAFTA the worst trade deal ever. He has said: 'It used to be cars were made in Flint and you couldn't drink the water in Mexico. Now cars are made in Mexico, and you can't drink the water in Flint, but we're going to turn this around.' The fact that the President is ZEROING OUT the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that is essential to restoring Great Lakes water quality on which millions of people depend on for clean water shows his campaign promises hold no water. If we can't trust him on his water quality promises, why should we trust him on his NAFTA trade promises?"

As a senior Member of the Appropriations Committee, Rep. Kaptur has been on the front lines to fight for programs that help provide security and stability to Ohio's working families. Watch Rep. Kaptur champion steelworkers and Buy American here.

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