WASHINGTON – U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, today released the following statement after the Senate voted 89-10 to pass the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA), which updates the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Durbin voted in support of the USMCA.
“The USMCA will support the economy in Illinois by improving trade relationships with Canada and Mexico, our top trading partners. I’m glad we got this done on a bipartisan basis and had the support of business, labor, and farmers,” Durbin said.
The USMCA includes important labor and pharmaceutical changes secured by Democrats that strengthen the deal for American workers, farmers, manufacturers, and families.
Illinois is the sixth largest exporting state, with exports supporting more than 325,000 jobs in 2016. Mexico and Canada are Illinois’ largest export partners—nearly $28 billion of Illinois products, including agricultural and manufactured goods, went to these countries in 2018. In 2017, Illinois agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico were about $2.11 billion. Illinois exported about $17.7 billion of goods to Canada in 2018, and $10.2 billion of goods to Mexico.
