NAFTA Negotiations Get Under Way Wednesday

The Trump administration starts renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement Wednesday, and there is wide disagreement about what changes should be made.

The administration’s first goal is to reduce the U.S. trade deficit. Other objectives are an end to both the prohibition on Buy American requirements and the tribunals established to resolve trade disputes. Canada, the US’s largest export destination - opposes both of those measures.

During the campaign, President Donald Trump threatened to leave NAFTA if major changes aren’t made. But Ohio Democratic Congressman Tim Ryan says killing NAFTA could harm businesses that have evolved around the 23-year-old agreement.

“But we have 20 – 25 years of supply chains that have been integrated in North America, enforcement provisions, everything that has evolved," says Ryan.

An ally of Ryan, Lori Wallach of the liberal advocacy group Public Citizen, agrees that a new deal should be reached that protects workers.

“However, if that is not possible, it is our view that it’s better to have no NAFTA than the status quo. We hope we never get to that," says Wallach.

There is no deadline for the negotiations. If a new agreement is reached, it’s expected to be early next year, well before elections in Mexico and the United States