Flake aims to counter Trump talk on NAFTA
With President Donald Trump calling NAFTA “one of the worst deals ever” and preparing to renegotiate the pact, U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake is trying to build a counternarrative on the trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.
Flake this week launched an initiative to gather stories from Arizona businesses about how the North American Free Trade Agreement has benefited them.
The goal: Influence the Trump administration to keep key provisions of the 25-year-old agreement, just as a lengthy renegotiation process is set to begin.
Flake detailed his plan to a receptive audience Thursday at the 2017 ArizonaMexico Commission Summit in Para-
dise Valley.
In his remarks, the state’s junior senator took a not-so-veiled jab at Trump, saying trade is not a zero-sum game.
“It’s far easier for a politician to point to a shuttered factory, then have some scapegoat — that’s usually trade — and say, ‘Those jobs went to China, those jobs went to Mexico,’ ” he said. “In reality, it’s far more complicated than that.”
Flake’s initiative, NAFTA4AZ, encourages business owners to submit stories online about the positive impacts the treaty has had on their businesses and families. Flake said he’ll share them with the Trump administration.
In 2016, trade between Arizona and Mexico reached $15.7 billion, supporting some 90,000 jobs in the state, according to the Arizona-Mexico Commission.
“We can talk about statistics ... all those are effective,” Flake said. “But I think most effective is for individuals and businesses to say, ‘Here’s what it means to me and my family.’ ”
Flake, who is running for re-election in 2018, has been an ardent supporter of trade agreements, including the now-scrapped Trans-Pacific Partnership. His position has put him at odds with Trump, who campaigned against NAFTA and the TPP.
Although Trump promised as a candidate to scrap the treaties, and did so with TPP, as president he has softened his stance on NAFTA, even calling it his “privilege to bring NAFTA up to date through renegotiation,” according to a White House statement.
Their opposing views have fueled speculation that Flake might be vulnerable in 2018, not just from hopeful Democrats, but also with disgruntled Republican voters. Flake said he was unfazed.
“I’ve taken this position every time I’ve run for re-election, and most Arizonans understand this,” he said. “Obviously, there are some who will disagree, but in politics you never please everybody.”
Two weeks ago, the Trump administration formally notified Congress of the president’s intention to renegotiate the treaty. In less than three months, representatives of the three countries will begin discussions about what to keep and what to scrap from the trade accord, which covers the movement of everything from produce to vehicles and workers.