Trade Agreement Reviews Will Result in More Fairness, Trump Tells Farmers
The Trump administration's review of NAFTA and all other trade agreements will result in fairer terms for U.S. interests, President Donald Trump said in a Jan. 8 speech at the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in Nashville. "To level the playing field for our great American exporters -- our farmers and ranchers, as well as our manufacturers -- we are reviewing all of our trade agreements to make sure they are fair and reciprocal -- reciprocal, so important," he said. "On NAFTA, I am working very hard to get a better deal for our country and for our farmers and for our manufacturers. It’s under negotiation as we speak. But think of it: When Mexico is making all of that money, when Canada is making all of that money, it’s not the easiest negotiation. But we’re going to make it fair for you people again."
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Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, celebrated Trump's intent while noting some concern for the effect of tweaking trade deals on farmers. "As the Administration continues to renegotiate NAFTA, I expect President Trump to keep the pledge he made today to make trade deals that don’t harm agriculture, including value-added agriculture and manufacturing," he said in a Jan. 8 news release. "That will be a major test of his presidency’s impact on rural America going forward. Every third row of soybeans grown in Iowa is exported. More than a quarter of tractors made by John Deere are sold in foreign markets. The livelihood of farmers across the nation depends on access to markets abroad, and I’m working to make sure the value of exports to farmers in Iowa and throughout the nation is well understood as NAFTA is renegotiated.”