Besides NAFTA, attendees discussed “the mutual desire to confront the challenges China poses to American businesses and workers,” Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said in a statement. | Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo GOP senators push Trump on trade

Senate Finance Committee Republicans used a rare White House meeting with President Donald Trump on Wednesday to stress how trade affects the American economy — urging him to preserve NAFTA and, in turn, jobs in their districts.

The closed-door meeting came after Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) requested an opportunity to discuss with the president trade issues including the renegotiation of NAFTA and the U.S.-China bilateral relationship.


Although Trump was elected in part because of a promise to get tough on trade, recent speeches like his State of the Union address did not include some of his more bellicose language on the issue. But his administration has taken up rarely used trade statutes to go after countries like China, and some sectors, primarily U.S. agriculture exports, are already seeing potential signs of retaliation.

Nearly all Republican members of the committee attended the Wednesday afternoon meeting, and all were intent on underscoring how pacts like NAFTA support millions of jobs in the United States.

Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn of Texas and other lawmakers said they sought to strike a balance between urging Trump to recognize the importance of NAFTA and recognizing the need to improve and update it.

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“This is not something to be treated lightly,” Cornyn said after returning from the White House meeting, where U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was also in attendance. “Certainly, he understands that. But we wanted to make that point because we don’t want all the good economic news that’s been coming out lately as a result of the regulatory rollback and the tax bill to be negated by economic shock caused by some misstep on NAFTA.

“He heard us loud and clear, on multiple occasions,” Cornyn continued. “So I think we’re making some progress, and I was encouraged.”

Among the NAFTA issues discussed was the so-called sunset provision, Sen. Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania said, referring to a U.S.-backed proposal that would automatically terminate the agreement after five years unless all three countries agreed to renew it. Canada and Mexico have both balked at the idea, which has emerged as one of the thornier issues in the talks.

“That sends a message that you should have no confidence this agreement is going to stay in force,” Toomey said of the sunset proposal, which he called a “very bad idea.” “We should send the message that this is going to remain a permanent agreement.”

Lawmakers also used the face time with Trump to show how trade specifically affects the states they represent. Sen. John Thune, for example, said agriculture exports were critical to his home state of South Dakota. He said he urged Trump “to keep the unique needs of this industry at the forefront of the administration’s trade negotiation effort.”

Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, meanwhile, pointed to the tens of thousands of workers at Louisiana ports who rely on robust trade, while Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina added that he “made clear that when it comes to issues involved with NAFTA that are important to South Carolina, such as auto rules of origin and the financial services sections, I expect to be involved and informed on their progress.”

Besides NAFTA, attendees discussed “the mutual desire to confront the challenges China poses to American businesses and workers,” Hatch said in a statement after the meeting. A White House official added that “tax reform, economic policies and ways to promote fair and reciprocal trade” were also part of the conversation.

“The president appreciates hearing the perspectives of his friends on the Finance Committee and will continue to consult with them as he pursues a level playing field for all American workers and businesses,” the White House official said.

The meeting comes as the administration and USTR are closely involved in the continuing renegotiation with Canada and Mexico of NAFTA, a decades-old agreement that Trump has long attacked — and continues to threaten to withdraw from — but Republicans in Congress largely support.

Some lawmakers have criticized trade officials in the administration for failing to adequately involve Capitol Hill in the talks, but they widely praised the White House meeting for giving them an opportunity to discuss trade policy and speak with the president about their specific priorities. In a sign of increasing engagement with Hill lawmakers, Lighthizer also met with members of the House Ways and Means Committee earlier Wednesday to discuss NAFTA.

Scott, who had blocked two nominees to top USTR positions because of what he felt was a lack of communication on trade issues, lifted his hold after the meeting, saying he felt his concerns had been addressed. He emphasized in doing so, however, that “as NAFTA renegotiations begin to heat up, it is absolutely essential that we have a clear and open dialogue between the administration and Congress.”

But even as they highlighted a need to continue having such conversations, senators who attended largely praised the administration for holding the meeting and seemed upbeat about the current direction of the U.S.’ trade policy. Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia, for instance, said after the discussion he felt that Trump would not follow through on his threat of withdrawing from NAFTA.

“I am encouraged … with the positions that the president took,” Isakson said. “And I am not afraid of the positions he’s going to take.”