Chief White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow said in an interview that aired Monday on “Rising” that Democrats would support the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal if they wanted to help workers.
“If Democrats really are in favor of helping the working folks, they will sign on to this new deal for U.S., Mexico, and Canada. They will sign on. This is a good deal. Everybody’s good with it. Cooperation,” Kudlow told Hill.TV’s Ned Ryun on Friday.
“Also, as President Trump and [Canadan] Prime Minister [Justin] Trudeau said on the phone the other day, we have a united front now against unfair trading practices outside,” he continued.
“We have a lot of openings on intellectual property rights. We have a lot of openings on financial services. Everybody’s going to benefit. So this is a very positive, pro-growth deal,” he said.
Trump fulfilled a major campaign promise last week in announcing the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement, now known as USMCA.
The agreement will require that 75 percent of components of a car or truck be manufactured in the U.S., Canada or Mexico to qualify for tariff-free status under the deal.
It also requires that a significant percentage of the car be produced by workers making at least $16 per hour.
Trump said last week that he had no idea whether lawmakers would sign off on the deal next year.
If Democrats take back the House in November, they are likely to thoroughly examine the agreement.
— Julia Manchester
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