A Modest Improvement or a Deal to Be Rejected? Warren & Sanders Debate New NAFTA Rewrite
Progressive Democratic presidential candidates Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders clashed over their trade policy disagreements as they zeroed in on the U.S., Mexico and Canada trade agreement that is meant to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. Sanders said the government can do much better. "The heart and soul of our disastrous trade agreements - and I'm the guy who voted against NAFTA and against permanent normal trade relations with China - is that we have forced American workers to compete against people in Mexico, in China, elsewhere, who earn starvation wages, $1 or $2 an hour," Sanders said. "Second of all, every major environmental organization has said no to this new trade agreement because it does not even have the phrase 'climate change' in it." Meanwhile, Warren argued the USMCA "will give some relief" to U.S. farmers and workers. "I believe we accept that relief, we try to help the people who need help, and we get up the next day and fight for a better trade deal," she said. We speak with Julian Brave NoiseCat, journalist and vice president of policy and strategy at the think tank Data for Progress.