Tammy Baldwin Leads 14 Senators to United States Trade Representative
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin led 14 Senate colleagues in sending a letter to United States Trade Representative Jamieson Greer ahead of the upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement. The senators urged the Trump Administration to prioritize American workers and pressed for action on offshoring, labor enforcement, and Chinese investment in Mexico.
In the letter, Baldwin and the other senators wrote: “USMCA, negotiated by the first Trump Administration in partnership with Congress, took important steps to provide market stability and strengthen labor standards. These standards must be viewed as a floor, not a ceiling”
Baldwin and 14 senators
The letter was co-signed by Senators Tammy Duckworth, Adam Schiff, Ruben Gallego, Tina Smith, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, Sheldon Whitehouse, Ed Markey, Jeff Merkley, Elissa Slotkin, Kirsten Gillibrand, Ben Ray Luján, Peter Welch, and Cory Booker. That made 15 senators in all, including Baldwin.
They wrote that any revised agreement must deliver “meaningful and measurable gains for American workers” and must address offshoring, protect workers’ rights, and protect North American manufacturing from increased Chinese investment and integration into supply chains. The senators also asked that China be stopped from undermining U.S. businesses and consumers and that Mexico be held accountable for enforcing labor laws.
USMCA review demands
The lawmakers said there are “urgent issues” that must be addressed during the upcoming review “in order to ensure workers benefit as promised.” They added: “We stand ready to work together to support American workers, manufacturing, and the domestic economy.”
They also wrote: “We urge you to keep American workers at the center of this Agreement, as well as ensure their seat at the table now, throughout the joint review, and in the future,”
Last year’s Baldwin push
The letter followed Baldwin’s work last year, when she led her colleagues in laying out a vision to prioritize American workers in trade policy, re-establish the United States as a world leader in manufacturing, and strengthen national security. The new letter puts those priorities directly in front of Greer before the joint review begins.
For workers and manufacturers watching the review, the senators have drawn a clear line: any revised agreement, they said, should be measured by whether it produces concrete gains for American workers and limits the offshoring pressure they say the current system still allows.
