Renegotiate NAFTA with Senator Sherrod Brown's 4-Point Plan

President Donald Trump

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote to President Trump outlining a strategy for renegotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Brown released a four-point plan for securing the best deal for American workers. Read Sen. Brown's letter to President Donald Trump with the President's handwritten response here.

  1. Secure Anti-Outsourcing and Buy America Provisions Up Front
  2. Don’t Pit American Workers and Industries against Each Other in Negotiations
  3. Build Enforcement Tools that Favor American Workers, Not Foreign Corporations if the Deal is Violated
  4. Include Workers in the Negotiations

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Brown held a series of roundtables with Ohio workers in recent weeks to get their input on what the priorities should be for a renegotiated NAFTA. Brown spoke with Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross recently as the White House reaffirmed its commitment to renegotiating NAFTA, and Brown's letter continues Brown’s efforts to work with President Trump to fulfill the President’s campaign promises on trade.

“American jobs shouldn’t be up for negotiation and American workers can’t be traded away as bargaining chips,” Brown said. “By setting high standards, putting workers ahead of corporations and refusing to compromise on outsourcing, we can create the best possible deal for all American workers.”  

Brown’s plan outlines two new strategies that the U.S. has not used in negotiations over past trade deals. First, he calls on the White House to secure commitments from Mexico and Canada on anti-outsourcing provisions and Buy America protections before even beginning negotiations. Second, he’s urging the Administration to develop individualized negotiation strategies for manufacturing sectors that have been hurt by outsourcing. The goal is to ensure that American workers aren’t pitted against each other as bargaining chips in a negotiation.  

Next, Brown says any new deal must include more meaningful enforcement mechanisms for American workers and do away with special courts that allow multi-national corporations to undermine U.S. laws and take advantage of American workers.

Finally, Brown says the Administration must be inclusive and transparent throughout the negotiations to ensure American workers and consumers have an equal seat at the table with multi-national corporations. A PDF of Brown’s letter to Trump is available here.

Immediately after President Trump’s election, Brown reached out to his transition team to offer his help on retooling U.S. trade policy. Brown wrote to Trump in November offering specific steps to work together on trade and Trump responded with a handwritten note. Since then, Brown has spoken with the President about Buy American and had multiple conversations with top White House trade advisers, including Ross and USTR nominee Robert Lighthizer.

Brown opposed NAFTA when it was first passed. He now sits on the Senate Finance Committee, which has jurisdiction over trade agreements.


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To: President Donald Trump
From: [Your Name]

Renegotiating NAFTA is vitally important to Ohio's economy. Senator Sherrod Brown wants to sit down and work with you on his four-point plan to help NAFTA work for working people like me. I urge you to support his four-point plan that will:

1. SECURE ANTI-OUTSOURCING AND BUY AMERICA PROVISIONS UP FRONT

We know what causes outsourcing: low wages, exploited workers and weak, or non-existent, environmental protections in other countries encourage companies to relocate where it’s cheaper to do business. This has created a race to the bottom that hurts all workers, brings down wages and jeopardizes clean air and water. So Brown’s plan calls on the Administration to secure commitments from Mexico and Canada to enforce strict worker and environmental protections before even sitting down at the negotiating table.

In the past, U.S. trade negotiators have used up their leverage without securing strong enough standards to protect American jobs. By securing strong anti-outsourcing provisions up front, Brown’s plan ensures American jobs aren’t up for negotiation.

In addition to tough worker and environmental protections, Brown’s plan insists that Mexico and Canada agree up front that Buy America standards will not be weakened in negotiations.

2. DON’T PIT AMERICAN WORKERS AND INDUSTRIES AGAINST EACH OTHER IN THE NEGOTIATIONS

Too often, U.S. trade negotiators have pitted American workers and industries against each other as bargaining chips in the negotiation. For example, auto industry priorities get weighed against the needs of farmers. American workers shouldn’t be horse-traded simply for the sake of cutting a deal. A renegotiated NAFTA must be a good deal for all workers.

So, Brown’s plan calls on the White House to develop individualized negotiation strategies for manufacturing sectors that have been hurt by outsourcing. Identifying sectors that are susceptible to outsourcing and developing plans to address their unique needs and vulnerabilities in advance will ensure American workers and industries aren’t sacrificed during negotiations.

3. BUILD ENFORCEMENT TOOLS THAT FAVOR AMERICAN WORKERS, NOT FOREIGN CORPORATIONS WHEN THE DEAL IS VIOLATED

Even good trade deals don’t mean anything if they aren’t enforced. For too long, U.S. free trade agreements have included ineffective procedures for workers to challenge violations and super-sized procedures for corporations. Investor-state dispute settlement provisions have created private, C-suite courts that allow foreign corporations to undermine U.S. laws and take advantage of American workers, while workers wait years for trade violations to be addressed – if they are addressed at all.

Brown’s plan would do away with special courts for corporations and create a better process for workers to get remedies if Mexico and Canada violate the agreement.

4. INCLUDE WORKERS IN THE NEGOTIATIONS

Time after time, we’ve seen corporate lobbyists writing trade deals behind closed doors, while American workers are locked out.

Brown’s plan calls on the White House to make U.S. proposals public before and after each negotiating round and give workers, consumers and public interest advocates equal representations with corporations on Trade Advisory Committees that wield special influence in negotiations.