The New Jersey State AFL-CIO congratulates Rep. Chris Smith, R-4th District, on the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, for which he voted, and which passed both houses of Congress on a bipartisan basis.

The labor federation thanks Smith for his long and distinguished history of pro-labor votes in Congress. He is a friend to New Jersey's working families.

Here is Smith's statement about the USMCA:

“After years of negotiations, we finally are rid of the North American Free Trade Agreement that governed trade between the United States, Mexico and Canada,” said Smith, a longtime supporter of workers’ rights and protections. “NAFTA, signed in 1993, was a bad deal for the U.S., and I congratulate the administration on securing a better agreement for America’s workers and companies.”

Smith has long opposed NAFTA, having voted against the original treaty on several occasions in the 1990s. 

“Under NAFTA, U.S. workers were pitted against workers in other nations that didn’t have or didn’t enforce adequate labor laws, human rights standards and environmental protections. That is unfair competition,” Smith said.

“Free trade must be fair trade, and we must have strong trade enforcement laws to combat unfair practices.

"The USMCA is expected to create thousands of new manufacturing jobs, especially in the auto industry; institute new wage and rules-of-origin requirements so American workers are on a level playing field with workers from other countries; improve trade exports for American farmers by improving access to Canadian and Mexican markets; implement new protections for American intellectual property, and establish important environmental standards.

“I am looking forward to Canada and Mexico abiding by its provisions for the economic benefit of all,” he said.

-- Courtesy of Rep. Chris Smith's office