The PC (USA) and interfaith groups wrote Congress to demand more progress on improvements to the original NAFTA agreement
By Eileen Schuhmann | Presbyterian Hunger Program
The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) between the U.S., Canada and Mexico has been under renegotiation since 2017.
Late in 2018, negotiators from all three countries came to an agreement on the new text and now the new agreement must be approved by the U.S. Congress and ratified by all three countries before going into effect. The U.S. Congress is expected to vote on the agreement early this year.
The Presbyterian Church (USA) and 20 interfaith organizations wrote to members of Congress on January 31, 2019 to explain our shared belief that the goal of U.S. trade policy should be to promote healthy communities, a flourishing environment, and an economy that benefits all.
The letter lifts up three areas in which the new NAFTA agreement must make more progress. The revised NAFTA must:
- Ensure access to affordable medicines
- Faithfully steward God’s earth & uphold environmental protections
- Ensure just labor practices
Interfaith leaders urged Congress to make the necessary changes to the revised NAFTA to ensure its impacts do not undermine those values.
Read the full Interfaith Letter to Congress
Read “‘New NAFTA’ expands corporate rights and limits regulation”