WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Andy Barr (KY-06) today voted to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), the trade deal negotiated by President Trump that is expected to provide a major boost to our economy and add more than 176,000 new jobs for American workers.
After months of advocating that House Democrats schedule a vote on the deal, Congressman Barr was pleased with the bipartisan support for the agreement. Kentucky stakeholders praised the vote and Congressman Barr’s continued support for the trade deal, which will help Kentucky’s workers, businesses and families.
“Today is a monumental day for Kentucky's workers, farmers, and businesses. The USMCA will modernize North American trade, boosting an already historically strong U.S. economy,” said Congressman Barr. “In addition to strengthening our automotive, agriculture and bourbon industries, this trade deal will give us much better leverage as we negotiate better, freer, and fairer trade deals with countries like Japan, the United Kingdom, the European Union and China. My only regret is that it took Speaker Pelosi more than six months to bring this critical, bipartisan legislation to the House floor for a vote.”
What others in Kentucky are saying:
“We believe free trade is always beneficial to the Bourbon industry. The Bourbon market has room to grow in Canada and Mexico. We hope, when passed, The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) will lead to other positive trade discussions which may ultimately lead to removal of recently imposed tariffs and retaliatory tariffs.” – Kentucky Distillers Association President Eric Gregory
“House passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement is welcome news for Kentucky farm families. Trade is so important to the sustainability of our farms across this state and throughout the nation. Mexico and Canada are two of our largest trading partners, and the agricultural exports that are going from this state to those countries are worth millions to our Commonwealth’s farm economy. We thank our Congressional delegation who have worked diligently to get this bill passed through the House.” – Kentucky Farm Bureau President Mark Haney
“On behalf of Kentucky’s business community, we are pleased to see that progress has been made to ensure the USMCA becomes a reality. Kentucky is a top state for trade and many of our signature industries including bourbon, automotive, aerospace, and agriculture have been negatively affected by recent tariffs. This bipartisan agreement shows that trade is important for economic growth and protecting businesses and consumers. Thank you to Congressman Barr who is a loud and clear voice representing the businesses of Kentucky in urging passage of this agreement.” – Kentucky Chamber President & CEO Ashli Watts
“Toyota is pleased a deal has been reached to move forward with a vote on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). We urge Congress to swiftly ratify the agreement so that we and our 8,000 team members can plan for the future.” – Toyota Georgetown Plant President Susan Elkington
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