VP Mike Pence: Passing NAFTA 2.0 will help Central Valley farmers

James Ward
Visalia Times-Delta
Vice President Mike Pence addressed a crowd Wednesday  July 10 in Lemoore where he urged the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

LEMOORE — Amid hay bales and country music at a farm outside Lemoore Wednesday, Vice President Mike Pence sought to rally farmers and others in the agriculture industry to support President Donald Trump's revisions of the North American Free Trade Agreement.  

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, addressed a campaign promise to renegotiate trade deals Trump viewed as unfair and replace the 25-year-old NAFTA. Pence is seeking support to pressure Congress to approve the revised agreement. 

"USMCA is the level playing field we need," Pence said, during a stop at Doug and Julie Freitas & Sons Farms. "We are no longer going to allow an outdated trade deal to harm American farmers and businesses." 

Pence argued the passage of USMCA would increase U.S. trade to Canada and Mexico by a combined $29 billion, which would include $2.2 billion in direct agricultural and food increases, as well as $314 million in increases to dairy trade between Mexico and Canada. 

"USMCA is a win for American dairy," Pence said. "And it will grow jobs across the San Joaquin Valley."

Trump and the leaders of Mexico and Canada signed USMCA in November at the G-20 Summit in Buenos Aires.

The crowd waits for  Vice President Mike Pence to speak on Wednesday, July 10 in Lemoore where he campaigned for the passage of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Lawmakers in the three countries still have to approve the trade agreement. Mexican officials have said the deal could fall part if the U.S. Congress does not ratify it this year.

"Now it's time to Congress to do its job and pass USMCA this year," Pence said. "California farmers, let your voice be heard."

Agricultural interests hope the USMCA will stabilize the industry hit hard by Trump administration tariffs.

In the past two years, farmers in California and across the country have struggled as they dealt with a backlash from other nations following tariffs that Trump imposed on steel and aluminum.

"If we can't pass the USMCA with our allies, our friends, Canada and Mexico ... shame on all of us, frankly," Rep. Jim Costa (D-Fresno) told the Times-Delta last month. 

Costa noted that Canada is the biggest importer of California almonds and wines.

Net farm income has fallen nearly 50 percent nationwide from its peak in 2013, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A sign extols the virtues of farmers at a rally on Wednesday, July 10 in Lemoore where Vice President Mike Pence appeared to campaign for the passage of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

California ag industry leaders have pushed for passage of USMCA, noting that China — whose retaliatory tariffs have hit California citrus and other ag sectors particularly hard — represents only half of the trade that the U.S. does with its neighbors to the north and south.

At a national level, the American Farm Bureau has been one of the biggest advocates of the proposed USMCA.

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Zippy Duvall, president of American Farm Bureau, has said that without USMCA, farmers' "most critical markets hang in the balance."

"When NAFTA was signed more than 25 years ago, it was the best trade deal U.S. agriculture had ever seen," Duvall wrote on the group's website. "But now there’s a new deal on offer — the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA. We have a chance to trade in a great agreement for an even better one."

Agriculture exports to Canada and Mexico have more than quadrupled since NAFTA went into effect in 1994, Duvall wrote.

But the revised agreement has drawn concerns from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who argue the pact is too similar to NAFTA and lacks the necessary enforcement provisions.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants Trump to re-enter negotiations to strengthen its enforcement provisions involving environmental concerns and labor practices in other countries.

The crowd tries to stay cool while waiting for Vice President Mike Pence  spoke on Wednesday, July 10 in Lemoore where he campaigned for the passage of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

“I do also think we’re only chatting unless we’re enforcing, and that’s my point is that I want to see stronger enforcement language," Pelosi said in June. 

Likewise, Brett Voorhies, president of the Indiana AFL-CIO, criticized NAFTA for contributing to "runaway companies" that moved to countries such as Mexico because the trade pact didn't address fair labor practices in those countries. 

The same problems exist with USMCA, he said.

"We're in a time where globalization is needed. We totally understand these trade deals are needed," Voorhies said. "...But it needs to be fair trade, and not free trade, which we've been saying for years. How hard can it be to put in labor standards?"

USA TODAY NETWORK and the AP contributed to this report. 

James Ward covers entertainment, news, sports and lifestyles for the Visalia Times-Delta/Tulare Advance-Register. Follow him on TwitterGet alerts and keep up on all things Tulare County for as little as $1 a month. Subscribe today.