Maine Senator Collins Joins Maine Businesses in Supporting New Trade Agreement to Help Create More Good-Paying Jobs

U.S. Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) today voted to approve the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). USMCA passed the Senate by an overwhelming, bipartisan majority of 89-10. It previously passed the House by a vote of 385-41 and now heads to the President’s desk to be signed into law.

The agreement has received broad support from hundreds of organizations in the business, agriculture and manufacturing sectors, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Business Roundtable, the National Association of Manufacturers, the American Farm Bureau Federation, United Fresh Produce Association, American Forest & Paper Association, AFL-CIO, United Steel Workers, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

In Maine, the Maine State Chamber of Commerce, the Lewiston-Auburn Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, New Balance, Proctor & Gamble, Texas Instruments, Corning, Wyman’s, the Manufacturers Association of Maine, the Maine Dairy Industry Association, the Maine Potato Board, and the Maine Wild Blueberry Commission have also expressed their support for the agreement.

Senator Collins released this statement:

“Trade with Canada and Mexico is vitally important to Maine’s economy, supporting numerous small businesses and more than 53,000 jobs in our state.

“In reviewing the text of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, the replacement for the deeply flawed NAFTA, my paramount concern was ensuring that Maine workers will be protected. After careful assessment of the benefits USMCA will have for those employed in Maine’s manufacturing industry, agriculture sector, and small businesses, I will vote in support of the USMCA.