NAHB applauds Trump’s signing of USMCA

1/30/2020
President Donald Trump has signed the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, USMCA, and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is firmly behind the move.

In a statement, the NAHB said that the USMCA is a major improvement over the outdated 25-year-old NAFTA.

“By modernizing and strengthening free trade with our largest trading partners, the USMCA will boost U.S. economic growth and help keep the prices of homes and home improvements low,” the association said.

“NAHB commends President Trump for working tirelessly to make the USMCA a reality and for signing this landmark trade deal,” said NAHB Chairman Dean Mon. “Trade policy affects housing costs and the USMCA represents an important victory for the American economy, for American workers and for housing affordability. By adding new jobs, boosting wages for American workers, and including provisions to lower the costs of materials needed to build and repair homes, this trade pact is a positive step forward to ease America’s housing affordability challenges.”

According to the NAHB, U.S. residential construction and remodeling industries rely on tens of billions of dollars in building materials sourced from Mexico and Canada annually because America cannot produce enough steel, aluminum and other materials and equipment to meet the needs of the domestic housing industry.

Price volatility of imported materials and equipment are driving up housing costs and exacerbating the nation’s housing affordability woes, the NAHB said.

At the signing ceremony for the agreement, Trump said, “The USMCA is the largest, fairest, most balanced, and modern trade agreement ever achieved.  There’s never been anything like it.  Other countries are now looking at it, but there can’t be a border like that because, believe it or not, that is by far the biggest border anywhere in the world, in terms of economy, in terms of people.  There’s nothing even close.”

“This is a colossal victory for our farmers, ranchers, energy workers, factory workers, and American workers in all 50 states,” Trump added.

The White House issued a fact sheet breaking down the benefits of the new agreement.
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