Political Quotes

“Mr. President, in 1993, I voted against the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA. At the time, I was concerned about a number of issues, including that NAFTA would not adequately protect American jobs--manufacturing jobs in particular--and also lacked sufficient environmental protections. Today, I voted yes on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement that will replace NAFTA because it will substantially improve upon NAFTA, and in the process benefit California and the United States. There are several provisions in the agreement that will help California, including greater access to Canadian agricultural markets, including dairy; labor provisions that go far beyond past trade agreements; and $300 million to help address pollution from the Tijuana River. It also includes $215 million and renewed authorization for the North American Development Bank to address pollution along the U.S- Mexico border, a provision that comes from legislation I introduced with Senator Cornyn. The agreement sets new standards for labor protections in a trade agreement. The agreement will require Mexico to make major improvements to its labor laws, including collective bargaining reforms, establishing independent labor courts and union dispute-resolution bodies, and eliminating compulsory labor. It will substantially improve monitoring and enforcement of these labor reforms in Mexico, and make the enforcement process easier.…”