Portman
Ohio Republican Senator Rob Portman was the U.S. Trade Representative under George W. Bush, and he’s cautioning President-elect Donald Trump against walking away from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In an interview this week, he did say the pact between the United States, Canada, and Mexico could be improved. During the presidential campaign, Trump spoke more than once about withdrawing from the agreement if he won the Oval Office. In the interview, Portman also noted that there were several areas in the 23-year old agreement that could be improved for the U.S. In the meantime, with the Obama Administration no longer pursuing passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, attention is turning to President-elect Trump. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe urged Trump not to walk away from the deal, which can’t go into effect without American approval. Abe did say failure to move on TPP could shift trade focus to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, which is being led by China and doesn’t include the United States.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting news service.