Vice President Mike Pence is visiting Michigan on Wednesday to talk trade as the Trump administration pushes for Congress to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, an update to NAFTA. Congressman Fred Upton tells WSJM News the administration hasn’t sent that deal to Congress, but before anything can happen, it should end tariffs on Canada and Mexico that affect agriculture and the auto industry.
“I guess you could say that they worked to get Canada and Mexico to the bargaining table, but now that they have an agreement at least in principle with these two other countries, the tariffs need to be lifted because it is us, the consumer, who ends up paying for that tariff,” Upton said.
Upton says he’s heard from big companies the tariffs are making them question their commitment to the United States.
“The employers are saying it might be better to move operations overseas, where [they] won’t have to pay the tariff on steel and aluminum, and then send those finished products to the US, where they’re not going to face the tariff.”
The vice president’s visit to the Detroit area will include a tour of the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant. He will also take part in a fundraiser for President Trump’s re-election campaign.
