Congress Must Pass USMCA

Blog post by Ashley Duckman Ashley Duckman is the Vice President of Government Affairs at the Maryland Chamber. As the VP, she leads advocacy efforts on behalf of the 4,500+ members of the Maryland Chamber before the Maryland General Assembly and on the federal level. Duckman’s responsibilities include developing, leading, and executing the legislative strategy of the organization and maintaining positive working relationships with key elected officials and members of the Administration in order to build a better understanding of and appreciation for business issues.

As we near the end of the year, the business community, supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, continues to push Congress for approval of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).  During the congressional work period in October, the U.S. Chamber unveiled its #USMCAnow social media campaign and has engaged local businesses and chambers of commerce at nearly 60 USMCA events across 13 states to drum up support for its approval. Additionally, meetings were held with 36 members of Congress, including 30 Democrats who are critical to securing final passage of the agreement.  

The Maryland Chamber of Commerce will continue to advocate on behalf of Maryland businesses by supporting USMCA, as its approval is crucial to our state’s economy. In 2018, Canada and Mexico were responsible for the purchase of nearly one-fifth of Maryland’s total global manufacturing exports, and over the past decade, Maryland has increased goods exported to Canada and Mexico by more than 80%. Without the USMCA agreement, these goods could face a minimum of $36 million and up to $178 million in extra tariffs.  

 As the holidays approach, members of Congress will spend more time in their districts meeting with their constituents. Although work remains on a handful of issues, there is growing consensus that the administration and congressional negotiators are coming close to an agreement on final approval of USMCA. To ensure that members stay focused on reaching an agreement, we encourage you to contact your representatives in Congress to urge them to support the USMCA.  

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has great resources to get started:  

• U.S. Chamber USMCAnow 
• USMCA Coalition  
• U.S. Trade Representative USMCA State Fact Sheets 
• NAM State Data Sheets 

If you would like more information on USMCA or engaging with your members of Congress, please reach out to the Maryland Chamber government affairs team.  

Click here to tell Congress to Pass the USMCA.