Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today discussed the importance of passing the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) during the Senate Finance Committee hearing titled, “The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.”

As Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, Senator Roberts has heard first-hand from producers, farmers, ranchers and growers who would benefit from the passage of this trade agreement. During today’s hearing, Roberts questioned the witnesses on how USMCA will impact the agriculture industry and future trade agreements with other countries.

NOTE: View Senator Roberts’ hearing remarks here or by clicking on the photo above.

Remarks as prepared for delivery

Thank you to the witnesses for sharing your industries’ perspectives on USMCA and the need for its swift passage by Congress.

When I was in the House, I worked on the original NAFTA and over the years, been witness to the United States economy’s impressive gains from having Canada and Mexico as two of our strongest trading partners. Many of these benefits are seen up and down the agriculture value chain. NAFTA secured greater market access for producers, and currently, over a quarter of our country’s agricultural exports are destined for Canada and Mexico.

Today we are discussing the advantages of the modernized trade agreement, better known as USMCA. While we have benefited from the original text for over 20 years, we can all agree it is necessary to modernize our trading relationship to solidify our future trilateral partnership.

As many of our witnesses have shared in their testimony, with much uncertainty surrounding U.S. trade policy, the passage of USMCA is essential expand critical market access and create new trade opportunities. At a time when the U.S. agriculture industry is facing incredible challenges, we must offer greater certainty and predictability for the farmers and ranchers across the country.