USMCA trade deal clears Senate committee

WASHINGTON D.C. (KIFI/KIDK)-Idaho Senator Mike Crapo helped advance the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) out of the Senate Finance Committee Monday. The agreement is intended to replace the NAFTA trade deal.

"I have long maintained that the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) needed to be re-negotiated. I had concerns with NAFTA because many goods and services originating in the United States received unfair treatment among trading partners. It also did not provide sufficient market access, nor did it address pricing structures and restrictive trade practices in the dairy sector."

The trade agreement was approved by the House of Representatives on December 19. It now goes to the full Senate for an up or down vote.