Trump Administration Announces NAFTA Renegotiation
After months of public pronouncements on the future, including threatened withdrawal from, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Trump Administration announced on May 18, 2017, its intention to begin negotiations with Canada and Mexico. Signed by Robert Lighthizer, the newly confirmed U.S. Trade Representative, the notification letters to Congressional leaders do not contain any details on specific targets for negotiations. The letters describe instead broad aims for discussions with U.S. Congressional leaders and industry constituents, and the administration’s intention to begin negotiations with Canadian and Mexican counterparts in mid-August or later. President Trump previously railed against NAFTA and its alleged impact on the U.S. manufacturing sector. However, the agreement’s impact has...
