01.16.20

Sullivan Votes for USMCA Trade Deal that will benefit Alaskans

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) released the following statement after voting in support of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal, which has significant benefits for Alaska.

“On the heels of the signing of the first phase of the U.S.-China trade agreement—which contained positive news for Alaska fishermen—the Senate today passed yet another critical trade agreement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, with even more positive news for Alaska. 

The USMCA, which constitutes an updated NAFTA, is the most significant change to North American trade policy in nearly 30 years. It will strengthen our country’s farmers, manufacturers, small businesses and, importantly, Alaska fishermen. Because of a provision I was able to get signed into law in 2016 mandating that fisheries be a principal negotiating objective in all future trade agreements, the USMCA features an entire chapter on fisheries, including phasing out subsidies, combatting illegal fishing, prohibitions on certain vessels and operations, and reducing and removing tariffs.”

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Because of the Save Our Seas (SOS) Act, a bill Senator Sullivan authored which was signed into law in 2018, the USMCA also contains strong language aimed at curbing marine debris, including plastics and microplastics. This is the first time marine debris has been specifically addressed in a trade agreement.

Senator Sullivan’s second ocean debris bill, SOS 2.0—which passed the Senate unanimously on Jan. 9, and is the most comprehensive ocean debris legislation to pass the Senate—builds on the first SOS bill and requires the U.S. to consider marine debris in future international negotiations, as well. 

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