Kamala Harris Should Tell the Truth About Her Record on Trade | Opinion

Vice President Kamala Harris' recent statement in Michigan criticizing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) trade agreement follows an unfortunate pattern of the Democrat's campaign: moving from mere evasion to outright fabrication.

Harris said she opposed the USMCA because it was worse than its predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), and that the results of the USMCA have proven her right. The truth is quite the opposite. The facts are these: As a senator, she voted against the new agreement, and thus in favor of keeping NAFTA in place, because she thought the climate restrictions in the new agreement were not strong enough. Her objection had nothing to do with protecting workers. She was playing to radical environmentalists in an election season with an eye toward her political career.

Harris' own comments at the time make this clear. Her January 2020 statement announcing her decision was that "after careful study and consultation with environmental and conservation leaders, I have concluded that the USMCA's environmental provisions are insufficient." There was nothing about workers in her rationale.

In other words, Harris voted to keep the nearly universally condemned and job-killing NAFTA in place because she decided to pander to climate lobbyists at the expense of our workers. This very same trade-off will undoubtedly continue in her administration if she wins the election.

The vast majority of Democrats in Congress supported and praised the agreement. It passed the House 385 to 41 and the Senate 89 to 10.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, "There is no question, of course, that this trade agreement is much better than NAFTA."

Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Or.) added that the "broad, bipartisan vote in favor of the new NAFTA reflects the fact that putting workers first is absolutely essential to trade that Oregonians and the rest of America can support."

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) said the agreement was "a deal that respects the dignity of workers."

Representative John Lewis (D-Ga.) recalled that "Twenty-six years ago, I opposed NAFTA with every bone in my body. I never thought the day would come when we would have the opportunity to right some of the wrongs in that agreement."

Organized labor also supported the agreement. President Richard Trumka of the AFL-CIO said, "now we have secured an agreement that working people can proudly support."

Only a handful of the hardest-Left members, like Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), agreed with Harris and voted to stick with NAFTA.

Harris' claim that the USMCA has not helped American workers is belied by the experts in her own administration. Just three months ago, the U.S. trade representative—part of the executive office of the president—issued a detailed report on the effects of the agreement. It said:

USMCA has had a positive economic impact on the U.S. and North American auto industry.... Automakers and parts suppliers have invested billions of dollars in new production and the US International Trade Commission (USITC) estimates that the automotive [rules] have been positive for U.S. employment, wages, capital expenditures, production, and profits.

So, both the Biden-Harris administration's own experts and the nonpartisan International Trade Commission agree that the USMCA has been good for America's autoworkers.

In short, here are the facts: Harris voted against USMCA and in favor of keeping NAFTA as part of a callous trade in which she sacrificed the interests of American workers to show solidarity with climate lobbyists. Had she prevailed, we would have seen auto worker jobs continue flooding into Mexico, as they had under NAFTA. Today, workers in Michigan and the rest of the country would be suffering even more than they already are.

Fortunately, under the leadership of President Donald Trump and with the support of 90 percent of Republicans and Democrats in Congress, the most pro-manufacturing and pro-worker trade agreement in American history became law. The agreement was part of a change in trade policy that was a major factor contributing to the increase in manufacturing jobs and prosperity during the Trump years. Vice President Harris should get the facts straight.

Robert E. Lighthizer was the United States Trade Representative from 2017 to 2021.

The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.