By — Associated Press Associated Press Leave a comment 0comments Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/democrats-argue-the-merits-of-trumps-usmca-trade-deal Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Democrats argue the merits of Trump’s USMCA trade deal Politics Jan 14, 2020 10:03 PM EDT What has become a signature trade deal of President Donald Trump’s administration is a conflict point among the Democrats competing to replace him. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said at Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, that he opposes the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, or USMCA, in part because it “does not incorporate very, very strong principles to significantly lower fossil fuel emissions in the world.” Asked why she backed the deal, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it was a “modest improvement” over existing agreements and could be a placeholder for future reform. Former Vice President Joe Biden said that, as president, he wouldn’t push a trade deal that didn’t include buy-in from environmentalists and unionists. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she backed the deal, as did former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who said it “has been improved. It is not perfect.” READ MORE: These 4 changes helped Trump and Democrats agree to the USMCA trade deal We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now By — Associated Press Associated Press
What has become a signature trade deal of President Donald Trump’s administration is a conflict point among the Democrats competing to replace him. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said at Tuesday night’s Democratic presidential debate at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, that he opposes the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, or USMCA, in part because it “does not incorporate very, very strong principles to significantly lower fossil fuel emissions in the world.” Asked why she backed the deal, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren said it was a “modest improvement” over existing agreements and could be a placeholder for future reform. Former Vice President Joe Biden said that, as president, he wouldn’t push a trade deal that didn’t include buy-in from environmentalists and unionists. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar said she backed the deal, as did former South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who said it “has been improved. It is not perfect.” READ MORE: These 4 changes helped Trump and Democrats agree to the USMCA trade deal We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now