WASHINGTON (From news reports) - American Forest & Paper Association (AF&PA) President and CEO Heidi Brock praised the Administration and Congress for their efforts to pass the U.S. - Mexico - Canada (USMCA) trade agreement and issued the following statement:

"Today's historic action on the U.S. - Mexico - Canada (USMCA) agreement comes thanks to champions in the Administration and Congress who recognized the need for a strengthened cross-border trade agreement. Canada and Mexico are essential trading partners for the forest products industry, and this agreement preserves free and fair trade, assures legal trade in forest products, and promotes sustainable forest management among our three countries.

"We applaud the bipartisan process that guided this agreement to the president's desk for signature today. We urge Canada to move forward quickly in ratifying USMCA in the final step toward promoting forest products jobs and manufacturing."

Additional Background

Total pulp and paper U.S. exports to Mexico and Canada support 88,000 direct and indirect American jobs and in 2018 amounted to $10.1 billion, or 44 percent of the industry's total exports.