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Home > ADVOCACY > Where We Stand > NAFTA Letter


March 15, 2010


Hon. Chris Lee (sent to all members of the WNY Congressional delegation)
U.S. House of Representatives
1711 Longworth House Office Bldg.
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Lee:

On behalf of the 2,500 employer members of the Buffalo Niagara Partnership, I strongly urge your opposition to H.R. 4759, which provides for the withdrawal of the United States from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Passage of this bill, based on the popular but misguided claim that NAFTA hurts the U.S. economy and costs Americans their jobs, will be disastrous for the Buffalo Niagara region which serves as a bi-national gateway for commerce, facilitating $82 billion annually in trade between the United States and Canada.

Sponsors of the bill argue that in a time of economic uncertainty and record high unemployment, the United States needs to pull out of this “failed trade policy.” If $2.5 billion in trade crossing our borders with Canada and Mexico everyday constitutes a failed trade policy, then the sponsors of H.R. 4759 have unusual and unrealistic expectations.

Protectionist arguments asserting that America’s present economic woes are due to NAFTA prove weak under examination. U.S. manufacturing jobs have not been lost to Canada or Mexico in the last 16 years; but mainly were to increased productivity. Moreover, the free trade agreement has enjoyed the continued support from the National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce specifically because of its ability to boost the U.S. economy through trade and job creation. 

Given President Obama’s history of opposition to NAFTA and the inherent danger of populist fervor in an inevitably contentious election year, I urge you to be especially vocal in opposition to H.R. 4759 on behalf of the Buffalo Niagara region, which depends greatly on the uninterrupted flow of goods and services across the CanAm border. This bill cannot be allowed to pass. 

Sincerely,

Andrew J. Rudnick

cc.    Senator Charles Schumer
         Senator Kirsten Gillibrand