DeLauro Marks the Implementation of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), released the following statement on the United States' historic replacement of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):

"Today marks the entry into force of the re-negotiated NAFTA. In 2018, the Trump Administration signed a deeply flawed agreement that would have driven up the cost of medicine, had no effective enforcement provisions for workers' rights, and done nothing to counter NAFTA's constant outsourcing of jobs and pollution.

"Thanks to the efforts of Chairman Neal, Speaker Pelosi, and my colleagues on the Trade Working Group, the agreement that entered into force this morning is a vast improvement over the Administration's original proposal and an improvement relative to the original NAFTA, even if it is not a model for future deals. Mexican and U.S. workers will gain new tools to enforce fundamental worker rights—such as collective bargaining and the right to freely organize. However, for improvements on paper to translate into real gains for people, this Administration must commit to enforcing the agreement to help workers, not corporate bottom lines. And, Mexico must fully and faithfully implement and enforce the commitments they made.

"The imprisonment of a leading Mexican labor lawyer and the hundreds of constitutional challenges to the labor law reform in Mexico are troubling signs that the road ahead will not be easy and that much more must be done if this deal is to benefit working people. It's time for this Administration to roll up its sleeves and commit to protecting workers and enforcing this agreement."