Business Roundtable Statement on NAFTA Negotiations

Washington – Business Roundtable today issued the following statement regarding negotiations between the U.S., Canada and Mexico on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA):

“Regardless of whether officials from the U.S., Canada and Mexico can meet specific legislative deadlines, modernizing NAFTA in ways that expand, not restrict trade should be the Administration’s primary objective in these negotiations. A NAFTA 2.0 deal should strengthen intellectual property protection, promote e-commerce and digital trade in goods and services, and streamline customs rules to provide greater market access for businesses of all sizes. Proposals that would weaken investor-state or state-to-state dispute settlement mechanisms, implement overly restrictive rules of origin requirements, institute a sunset clause or curtail government procurement opportunities would create uncertainty for U.S. businesses and should be rejected.

“Issuing an intent to withdraw from NAFTA would imperil millions of U.S. jobs and the competitiveness of U.S. companies. Whether or not all three nations can come to an agreement in the coming days or weeks should not drive us away from the goal of preserving and strengthening NAFTA’s benefits to create more economic opportunities for U.S. businesses and workers.”