The fate of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) depends on U.S. tax reform and agriculture.
That’s according to Former U.S. ambassador to Mexico Jim Jones, who told Politico that if tax reform passes, President Donald Trump will be “more interested in listening to reason” on NAFTA and other issues. Jones says: “Trump is less interested in substance than he is in political victories.” Following a decision on tax reform, Jones says agriculture groups will be critical in persuading the administration to stick with NAFTA, adding that pressure from farm groups will increase after the tax reform debate. He says that once tax reform is concluded, agriculture leadership would be “so outraged at the possibility of leaving NAFTA that there’s a good chance we’ll negotiate.”
U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts have both said the agricultural trade would be critical to ensuring a successful NAFTA agreement.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.