Empower Wisconsin | Dec. 16, 2019
MADISON — Even after congressional Democrats and Republicans and the White House signaled agreement on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Wisconsin’s governor has yet to respond to calls asking him to publicly support passage of the new trade deal.
State Rep. Rob Summerfield’s office on Friday said Gov. Tony Evers had not answered a letter sent by 34 Republican Assembly members a month ago.
“We have not heard anything,” the staff member said. Summerfield (R-Bloomer) has taken a lead role in drumming up support for the agreement.
“The USMCA is a trade deal for the 21st Century. It levels the playing field with our North American neighbors by removing unfair and predatory trade barriers; strengthens intellectual property protections to support innovators and entrepreneurs between our three nations; and prioritizes American manufacturers in a way that has not been seen in this country for decades,” the letter, sent to the governor in mid-November states.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) last week announced Democrats and the White House had reached an agreement in their negotiations on the pact designed to replace the existing North American Free Trade Agreement between the three nations.
While Republicans and Democrats agree the deal will bring in billions of dollars to the U.S. economy and provide some relief to a battered agriculture sector, Evers, as of Friday, seemingly had nothing to say about it all.
“We’re hopeful that Gov. Evers will see how important this is for the state of Wisconsin,” Summerfield said last month.
