Press Releases

Congressman Garret Graves (South Louisiana) released the following statement today regarding Congress and President Trump reaching an agreement on the new United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement (USMCA), which the House will vote on next week:

Trade with Mexico and Canada is important to Louisiana's families and employment opportunities, but it needs to be fair. We cannot allow for unfair trade practices to simply shift jobs from the United States to Mexico. This new trade deal is going to inject even more energy into America's growing economy, and its positive impacts will be felt across the country – especially in Louisiana. In 2018, Louisiana exported $9.22 billion worth of goods to Mexico and $3.57 billion to Canada. With this new agreement moving closer to ratification, the stage is set for even more explosive growth. The $68 billion of new economic activity and nearly 200,000 new American jobs that USMCA is expected to produce come on the heels of last week's historic jobs report showing the unemployment rate at a 50-year low and consumer confidence red-lining at 99% -- all of which show what our economy can do when government isn't in the way. Bottom line is this: USMCA is an improvement to NAFTA, it puts American workers first – where they belong, and it should not have been held hostage by congressional politics this long. I urge swift passage in the House and Senate.

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