Axne to Congress: Get the USMCA done

(Washington) — Iowa Congresswoman Cindy Axne is sending a message regarding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

“Get this thing done as soon as possible,” said Axne. “Bring it to the floor for a vote, and let us pass the USMCA.

Axne sent that message to her colleagues in the U.S. House in a speech on the House floor Wednesday afternoon. The West Des Moines Democrat reiterated her support of the agreement, which is designed to modernize the North American Free Trade Agreement–or NAFTA. In an interview on KMA’s “Morning Line” program Wednesday morning, Axne says producers in the 3rd Congressional District dealing with other issues have been hurt by the delay in the USMCA’s approval.

“We got folks across this country relying on that,” she said, “including my agriculture community in my district, and across Iowa that really is feeling the pain from everything happening with this administration on biofuels, and the trade war. If we can get this done, we can limit some of the volatility n the market. That will help us maintain our sales, and give our farmers an opportunity to start planning, and moving forward.”

Axne rejects comments from Senate Republicans that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other House Democrats are intentionally stalling the agreement’s approval. Axne says the USMCA’s working agreement didn’t arrive in the House until July. And, issues regarding the agreement are being addressed.

“We’re getting real close on the bioceuticals piece,” she said, “which means we’re going to be able to start lowering the costs of prescription drugs, because we won’t be stuck in the corner of not being able to negotiate them. So, that’s coming together. We’re still working on the labor and enforcement section, and I sure hope that we can make that happen.”

Specifically, Axne wants an agreement that will strengthen oversight standards, so foreign companies don’t undercut U.S. jobs and wages, and help reduce the cost of biologic prescription drugs for Iowans. You can hear the full interview with Cindy Axne on our “Morning Line” page at kmaland.com.