Congressman Steven Horsford Statement on Passage of USMCA

Washington, D.C. — On Thursday, December 19, 2019, Congressman Steven Horsford (NV-04) voted to pass H.R. 5430, legislation to implement the Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (USMCA). Of his vote, Congressman Horsford released the following statement:

"I am proud today to vote for this historic, hemispheric trade agreement that provides for key changes that correct the failures of past agreements, ensuring that American workers receive the protections they deserve," Congressman Horsford said. "This sets a new standard for what Americans should expect from trade agreements and is a win for both our economy and American families. The transformed USMCA also includes high-standard rules that protect our environment and removes Trump administration provisions that would have locked in high prescription drug prices here at home."

Currently, trade with Canada and Mexico supports nearly 17,000 jobs in Nevada's Fourth Congressional District. Additionally, $357 million in goods and services are exported from Congressman Horsford's district to Canada and Mexico annually.

The Congressman worked within the Committee to ensure that important worker protections were included in the final agreement. Congressman Horsford has expressed the importance of investing in skills training for American workers to ensure they have the required skills to compete and attain well-paid, secure employment in the 21st-century economy.

The improvements Democrats secured advance our party's goals to bolster America's economy, support workers, protect the environment and bring down prescription drug prices. Specifically, House Democrats have achieved their goals to secure improvements in all four areas under negotiation by:

• Enforcement: Fixing loopholes in the new NAFTA that allowed countries to avoid being held accountable and introducing new rules of evidence to make enforcement more effective and fair.
• Workers: Strengthening standards to make them enforceable; creating new mechanisms to monitor labor rule compliance in Mexico and to enforce the commitment that parties trade only in goods that comply with the agreement's rules on workers; and establishing a new enforcement mechanism that will lead to penalties on imports produced at a facility where workers' right to organize has been thwarted.
• Environment: Reinstating high-standard rules that had been watered down by the Trump Administration; creating new mechanisms to monitor environmental rule compliance in Mexico.
• Access to Medicines: Preserving Congress's ability to legislate to bring down prescription drug prices by removing big giveaways to pharmaceutical companies and changing the rules to promote fair competition and patients' access to affordable medicines.