WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Abigail Spanberger today released the following statement ahead of U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s upcoming event in Louisa County focused on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

“Canada and Mexico are two of Virginia’s largest trading partners, and there’s no doubt that Central Virginia businesses and farms would benefit from a strengthened trade agreement between our three countries. Vice President Pence’s visit to Louisa will be an opportunity for the administration to hear from local businesses about the potential benefits of the USMCA—and I stand ready to keep working with the administration to expand export opportunities for our district’s small businesses, manufacturers, and farmers,” said Spanberger. “In the House, I’ve continued to push for a vote on the USMCA this year, and I’ve heard directly from our district’s business owners and farmers about the need for movement on this agreement. As negotiations between the administration and the House continue, I remain hopeful that we can achieve tangible progress, address existing enforcement issues, and move this long-awaited agreement across the finish line. And I’ll keep looking for ways to work with this administration on bipartisan priorities such as building new trade relationships, expanding high-speed internet access in our rural communities, and lowering sky-high prescription drug costs.”

Last month, Spanberger held a roundtable discussion on the USMCA and trade with the Chesterfield County Chamber of Commerce and local business owners.

BACKGROUND

Spanberger has worked to bring the trade concerns of Central Virginia small businesses and farmers directly to the administration. In a May 2019 meeting with Deputy U.S. Trade Representative C.J. Mahoney, she advocated on behalf of Virginia businesses as they continue to look for new export opportunities to Canada, Mexico, and elsewhere around the world. During the meeting, they also discussed the potential economic impacts of the USMCA in Virginia’s Seventh District and the financial certainty it could provide.

Additionally, she met with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and fellow members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus in March 2019 to discuss the state of USMCA negotiations.

Spanberger has also focused on protecting Central Virginia producers and businesses from the negative side-effects of the administration’s trade policies. In September 2019, she successfully pushed House leaders to protect market facilitation payments for Central Virginia farmers following reports of House Democratic leaders attempting to remove the payments from a continuing resolution.

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