Trade Call With U.S. Trade Rep C.J. Mahoney

There is a lot of activity on trade policy recently, notably with new tariffs on imports from China announced from President Trump, counter actions from China, and a recent delay from the Administration on further auto tariffs.

On June 14, 2019, the Great Lakes Metro Chambers Coalition hosted a conference call with Ambassador C.J. Mahoney, Deputy Trade Representative for the United States. Ambassador Mahoney will provide an update on the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA).

Ambassador Mahoney again asked for the Great Lakes regional business sector to get engaged with Congress to pass USMCA yet this summer. He warned the closer to the 2020 election we get, the harder it will be to pass anything on trade reform.

Back in March, Chamber Director of Government Relations Kent Wood was in Washington, DC for a chance to meet with Ambassador Mahoney. The Deputy U.S. Trade Representative was a key negotiator on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and was blunt in his assessment that he believes the USMCA needs to happen. The Deputy ambassador was addressing members of the Coalition about the need for the USMCA’s ratification by Congress, which, despite significant priority and outreach efforts from the Administration, is uncertain at this point.

You can read more about the Chamber Alliance’s discussions on trade here.