GOP senators oppose nominee for Trade Representative
WASHINGTON — Two Republican senators said late Wednesday they would oppose President Donald Trump’s nominee for U.S. Trade Representative in a broadside against the administration’s “ongoing, incoherent and inconsistent trade message.”
Sen. John McCain of Arizona and Ben Sasse of Nebraska said in a two-page letter to Robert Lighthizer that his confirmation process had failed to reassure them he understands the economic benefits of the North American Free Trade Agreement. The two lawmakers also said they doubt Lighthizer would, if confirmed, champion agriculture and negotiate trade deals to the benefit of American consumers and the economy.
“Beyond your vocal advocacy for protectionist shifts in our trade policies, the administration’s ongoing, incoherent, and inconsistent trade message has compounded our concern,” the senators wrote.
Trump nearly bailed on NAFTA, the 1994 trade pact with Mexico and Canada. He repeatedly derided it during the campaign as the worst trade deal ever and mocked his rival Hillary Clinton for her support for the agreement. President Bill Clinton signed it into law in 1993.