What Happens if the U.S. Fails to Strike NAFTA 2.0 Deal?

Leaders from Canada, Mexico and the United States are meeting in Washington, D.C. to kick off round 4 of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) talks Wednesday. As the trade talks come full circle, convening back in Washington after kicking off there, many ag leaders are growing impatient with the slow progress being the product of the first three rounds. National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) CEO Chandler Goule is pressing the current administration on why so much time is spent on renegotiating current deals- instead of focusing on ways to bolster trade through new agreements. “USTR has limited resources,” said Goule. “It’s time to get past plowing the same fields and start opening ground in new markets. Right now, we are standing around watching the world pass us by on trade agreements.” Pursuing new markets is the focus of a new campaign. “Farmers for Free Trade” is a recently launched campaign, chaired by former Senators Max Baucus (D-Montana) and Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), to drum up local support for trade. American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) is joining the campaign this week, making it clear a bipartisan effort is the only route to build trade. While the Trump administration says creating bilateral deals is a focus, it’s reworking current deals that the administration thinks will reduce the current trade deficit, declaring a tough stance on trade deals like NAFTA...more