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Hassan to back trade agreement

By Casey Junkins - City Editor | Jan 7, 2020

Telegraph photo by ADAM URQUHART U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., second from left, on Friday tours the office of Omni Components Corp. in Hudson. Monday, U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement a trade deal both Democrats and Republicans hope will be better than the original North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

NASHUA – While campaigning in Electoral College battleground states such as Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan in 2016, now President Donald Trump directly blamed the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for the closure of steel mills and factories that once employed thousands.

Trump also reminded voters that his Democratic opponent’s husband (former President Bill Clinton) signed NAFTA into law in December 1993. Trump went on to defeat Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in all three aforementioned Rust Belt states.

Now, Democrats and Republicans are hoping the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement will provide a better deal for workers and their employers. Monday, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said she will support the new trade deal.

“I am particularly pleased that the agreement boosts New Hampshire businesses’ ability to be competitive in the global economy, cuts red tape and tariffs for small exporters, and removes long-standing trade barriers that have prevented dairy farmers in New Hampshire and other states from accessing the Canadian market,” Hassan said on Monday.

Hassan added that, in her role as a member of the Senate Finance Committee, she plans to vote for the bill today.

Hassan said for a trade deal to earn her support, it must help to “level the playing field” for businesses in New Hampshire that are competing in global economy, and must contain strong enforcement mechanisms to protect workers, consumers and the environment.

“After carefully considering the provisions and listening to businesses and people across our state, I believe that the bipartisan U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement now meets both those standards, and I support implementing this agreement,” Hassan said.

“There is no question of course that this trade agreement is much better than NAFTA,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said in announcing the agreement in December, adding the pact is “infinitely better than what was initially proposed by the administration.”

Trump said the revamped trade pact will “be great” for the U.S.

“It will be the best and most important trade deal ever made by the USA. Good for everybody – Farmers, Manufacturers, Energy, Unions – tremendous support. Importantly, we will finally end our Country’s worst Trade Deal, NAFTA!,” the president said.

Unlike Hassan, U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., does not serve on the Senate Finance Committee. When the agreement was announced last month, Shaheen said she looked forward to learning the details.

“Trade plays a critical role in our New Hampshire economy, supporting job creation, expanding markets and creating growth for our small businesses,” Shaheen said. “Since I was governor and led the first New Hampshire trade delegation outside of North America, I have long been supportive of trade agreements that increase opportunities and growth for Granite State businesses while also supporting the American worker and protecting our environment.”

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