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Introduction

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) entered into force over 23 years ago, and since that time, the U.S. econom y and global trading relationships have undergone substantial changes. The America that existed when NAFTA w as signed is not the America that we see today. Some Americans have benefited from new market ac cess provided by the Agreement. It contributed to the linking of the continent through trade, while at the same time NAFTA provided much needed market access for American farmers and ranchers. But NAFTA also created new problems for many American workers. Since the deal came into force in 1994, trade deficits have exploded, thousands of factories have closed, and millions of Americans have found themselves stranded, no lo nger able to utilize the skills for which they h ad been trained. For years, politicians promising to renegotiate the deal gave American workers hope that they would stop the bleeding. But none followed up. In June 2016, then-candidate Donald J. Trump made a promise to the American people: he would renegotiate NAFTA or take us out of the agreement. As President, he immediately started work to fulfill that promise. The first NAFTA consultations began just a fe w weeks after the President took office. On May 18

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