WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today, in a speech on the Senate floor, announced that he will support the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), which updates the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Durbin applauded important labor and pharmaceutical changes secured by Democrats that made the USMCA better for American workers, farmers, manufacturers, and families. He also said the USMCA will support the economy in Illinois.
“A new NAFTA, the USMCA, means that the top trading partners of the State of Illinois, Mexico and Canada, will have a new lease on a relationship that can improve as we increase trade among our nations,” Durbin said. “It's a step forward for us. I'm glad it was done on a bipartisan basis…It's great to have both labor and business and the farm communities together in this effort.”
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Video of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Audio of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here.
Footage of Durbin’s remarks on the Senate floor is available here for TV Stations.
Illinois is the sixth largest exporting state, with exports supporting more than 325,000 jobs in 2016. Mexico and Canada are Illinois’ largest export partners—nearly $28 billion of Illinois products, including agricultural and manufactured goods, went to these countries in 2018. Illinois exported about $17.7 billion of goods to Canada in 2018, and $10.2 billion of goods to Mexico.
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