Bush administration officials yesterday defended the North American Free Trade Agreement and blasted suggestions by the Democratic presidential candidates that the United States might withdraw.
"Quitting NAFTA would destroy economies in US border communities, hurt US farmers, rip apart North American supply chains, and devastate large and small exporters," Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said in a speech in Washington.
Democrats Hillary Clinton
and Barack Obama have both pledged that if elected president they would threaten to pull out of NAFTA to force Mexico and Canada to renegotiate the accord and add labor and environmental protections.
In addition to Gutierrez's speech, the US Trade Representative's office released a report about NAFTA, saying that it has led to a tripling of trade among the nations, an increase in US employment, and an increase in wages in both Mexico and the United States.Boston Globe
