Congress will 'stand up' to Trump if he tries to end NAFTA
While the prospect of NAFTA's demise may be causing some hand wringing as Canada, the United States and Mexico renegotiate the trade deal, Brian Higgins, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, says NAFTA won't go down without a fight in Congress.
Higgins, a Democrat who represents New York's 26th District and sits on the House ways and means committee, told The House that President Donald Trump's positions on NAFTA do not entirely represent the U.S. government.
Trump has been on the offensive in NAFTA renegotiations, with what many consider to be aggressive and unpredictable demands.
Along with suggesting Canada and the U.S. nix Mexico from NAFTA if the talks go awry, he also proposed a "sunset clause" — a suggestion Canada and Mexico, as well as the business community, oppose — that would terminate the agreement in five years without the approval of all three countries.
There have also been rumblings that, if Trump gets his way, the trade deal could simply be torn up.
But Higgins said the U.S. government was built with checks and balances in place so that one level of the institution can't impose its will on another.
"The president is sometimes ignorant of the United States constitution… or at least indifferent to it," Higgins said.
Congress likely has more authority on trade agreements than the president, he said, and needs to stand up in its role as a branch of the U.S. government.
Higgins added that while NAFTA renegotiations may look chaotic, those checks and balances aren't going to change.
"Everything coming out of this administration is spontaneous and incoherent…[but] I think the concerns about the chaotic nature of what is occurring right now are somewhat premature," he said.
"We just need to take a steady, rational approach."