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Censky: postponing ratification of the USMCA would be disappointing

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has indicated Congress may not have enough time to pass the US Mexico Canada Agreement this year.

USDA Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky says postponing ratification of the USMCA would hurt farmers.

“We’ve been waiting a long time for this,” he says. “I think farmers are looking for trade certainty, the American people are looking for trade certainty, and I think it just postpones locking in an improved trade agreement.”

He says the agreement is great for the agriculture industry.

“It does lock in for agriculture the very benefits we had with Mexico- duty free treatment,” he says. “It also makes improvements and cracks open additional market access into Canada for our dairy, wheat, our poultry and egg producers.”

Censky spoke to reporters today during the 2019 Sustainable Agriculture Summit in Indianapolis.