President Trump Signs Legislation to Ratify U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement

President Trump today signed H.R. 5430, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, which ratifies the trade agreement that will soon replace the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). H.R. 5430 was passed by Congress on January 16.

The leaders of Canada, Mexico, and the United States signed the USMCA in November 2018. The labor mobility provisions of the USMCA – which ease the cross-border movement of businesspersons, intracompany transferees, certain professionals, investors, and traders – are largely the same as those of NAFTA. At the time the three leaders signed the USMCA, House Democrats expressed concerns about some of its provisions, including those related to labor and environmental standards. Further negotiations in recent months have resulted in revisions on those issues. The labor mobility provisions of the USMCA were not affected by those negotiations, however.