Harder Votes to Pass Historic Bipartisan Trade Deal with Mexico and Canada
WASHINGTON – Representative Josh Harder (CA-10) voted to pass the bipartisan United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), an updated North American trade deal, which will provide access to foreign markets for our farmers and Valley businesses while also protecting workers. Rep. Harder pushed for passage of a final deal by the end of the year in July and cheered the announcement of a final agreement earlier this month.
"This is a bipartisan win for our farmers who need to sell their products overseas. Our winemakers and dairy farmers especially will benefit from market access in Canada. These are huge industries for the Valley, and it's critical that they have the certainty they need to turn a profit," said Rep. Harder. "This is the model we should work from on all future trade deals. Everyone came to the table to work this out, and we got the labor protections we need to stop jobs from being shipped overseas. I look forward to working with my colleagues to stop these trade wars and create new, better trade deals for our workers and farmers."
"House passage of the USMCA represents a victory for California family farmers and ranchers who have advocated for the agreement," said California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson. "It's also a victory for tens of thousands of Californians who work in processing, marketing and moving California-grown food and farm products to customers in Canada and Mexico."
"This holiday season will be a bit brighter for America's dairy farmers as today's vote brings us one step closer to finalizing USMCA and securing a more certain future for the dairy industry," said Jim Mulhern, president and CEO of the National Milk Producers Federation. "California's dairy industry appreciates the work that Congressman Harder has invested to ensure USMCA will provide expanded market opportunities and a more level playing field for dairy exports. Now we are counting on the Senate to act quickly and finalize USMCA in order to deliver its improvements to North American trade."