Former Rep. Joe Crowley Says House, Senate Don't 'Have Forever' to Ratify New NAFTA
Former Rep. Joe Crowley, who is serving as an honorary chairman of Pass USMCA, did not endorse the pre-August timeline that Republican House members have been saying is critical to passing the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement. But Crowley, who was defeated in a primary by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez last year, said, "I think time is of the essence. I don't think we have forever to do this."
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Crowley, who cannot lobby his former colleagues, is trying to raise the visibility of the issue through media appearances. He said, "You have to look at the overall agreement" when deciding whether to support it, rather than fixing attention on one provision.
Pass USMCA has support from the biologics industry, which benefits from a 10-year exclusivity period in the deal; that's two years longer than what was negotiated in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. (Crowley voted against the TPP and CAFTA, the Central America Free Trade Agreement, and was not in Congress when NAFTA was ratified). "Strong intellectual property provisions are overwhelmingly positive for the United States," he said during a sit-down interview with International Trade Today on April 15. He pointed to the music and film industries, not just pharmaceuticals. He said millions of jobs are supported by the biopharmaceutical industry, and that if there were not the ability to recover the high investment costs of discoveries such as a cure for hepatitis C, those discoveries might not have been made.
"The real question here is how do you find the balance," he said, between incentives for the corporations and making sure people who need the medicines can afford to buy them.
The U.S.-Colombia FTA was reopened after signing to reflect Democrats' priorities, and that's an agreement Crowley voted for. He now argues against reopening USMCA. He said Canada and Mexico could seek changes that would be negative for the U.S., especially because of political changes in both countries since last fall.