President Donald Trump plans to meet the leaders of Canada and Mexico soon “to start renegotiating on NAFTA, on immigration and on security at the border,” reported Reuters. After China, the U.S. neighbors are the top markets for U.S. farm exports, forecast to buy 29 percent of ag exports and be the source of 44 percent of U.S. agricultural imports, so farm groups want to avoid adverse effects of reworked rules.
“Trump has said little about what improvements he wants, apart from halting the migration of U.S. factories and jobs to Mexico,” said Reuters. The White House says Trump will meet President Enrique Pena Nieto on Jan. 31, while no date was set for meeting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, said the BBC. A senior Canadian official told the Toronto Globe and Mail last week that the talks will focus on Mexico, “essentially cutting the United States’ southern neighbor out of many NAFTA benefits,” according to the newspaper.
A newly posted list of top issues on the White House website says the administration’s trade policy “starts by withdrawing from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and making certain that any new trade deals are in the interests of American workers. President Trump is committed to renegotiating NAFTA. If our partners refuse a renegotiation that gives American workers a fair deal, then the President will give notice of the United States’ intent to withdraw from NAFTA.”
A section on law enforcement says, “President Trump is committed to building a border wall to stop illegal immigration, to stop the gangs and the violence, and to stop the drugs from pouring into our communities. He is dedicated to enforcing our border laws, ending sanctuary cities, and stemming the tide of lawlessness associated with illegal immigration. Supporting law enforcement also means deporting illegal aliens with violent criminal records who have remained within our borders.”