Manchin Supports President Trump's Executive Order Withdrawing from the TPP and Renegotiating NAFTA
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) supports the executive order the President signed today that will withdraw the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and supports any effort to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada.
“It is no secret that NAFTA has hurt manufacturing jobs in West Virginia and all across the country. This trade agreement moved good manufacturing jobs out of this country, diminishing our economy and workforce, while improving the economies of other countries. In West Virginia alone, more than 30,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs have been lost on account of NAFTA. Even after NAFTA, Mexico’s minimum wage hasn’t risen above a dollar. While the TPP has never been ratified by Congress, seven of the 11 countries in the TPP have a minimum wage of less than $2.00. Malaysia’s minimum wage is $1.21, Peru’s is $1.15 and Vietnam’s is a mere 58 cents. It is demoralizing that we, as Americans, are willing to negotiate with countries that have such disregard for their workers. It is equally upsetting that we have continued to force hard-working Americans to compete with foreign workers making less than a dollar an hour. Since I have been in the Senate I have voted against every trade deal because I know the devastating effects these deals have had on my state and I applaud the President for taking these commonsense steps.”
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