08/30/2024 | Press release | Archived content
Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA) released the following statement in response to the Biden Administration's announcement that it would pursue enforcement consultations with Canada under the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):
"Trading relationships are only as strong as the enforcement that follows, and with today's announcement, Ambassador Tai is once again showing our trading partners that the U.S. will not stand idly in the face of action that hurts American workers, businesses, or our economy. House Democrats fought for enforcement mechanisms in USMCA to ensure all partners could be held accountable to our agreements, and it's clear that Canada's digital services tax stands in violation of that agreement.
"For many, many years, the United States and Canada have enjoyed a productive, mutually beneficial trading relationship, and I expect this dispute will be resolved through the consultations initiated by USTR. Should it not, however, the Biden Administration must be prepared to move forward with any number of the many accountability tools at our disposal. Standing strong for American workers and companies, even in the face of our closest trading partners, will always be a top priority."
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