Approve USMCA before it's too late

It's time to bring America together again — and that's why I'm asking Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate to lead in ratifying a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico.

Please join together now and approve a deal that will begin to turn the page on the harmful trade wars of the last two and a half years. Ongoing trade disputes have damaged our economy, threatened our global leadership, and divided our country.

The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) would replace NAFTA, the trade deal signed into law by President Clinton in 1993. In the USMCA, we have a fully negotiated and modernized agreement with our two most reliable and important trading partners. On May 30, the Trump administration notified Congress that it's ready to start the formal approval process for the USMCA.

It's time to take the high road. Let's rise above the latest obstacles, keep our focus and prove to our allies that we want to be a reliable trading partner. Together, elected leaders of both parties can show that we all can put the good of the nation in front of partisan political interests.

Although some members in the House of Representatives are skeptical of USMCA, Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiHouse Judiciary Committee formally receives impeachment report Overnight Energy: Pelosi vows bold action to counter 'existential' climate threat | Trump jokes new light bulbs don't make him look as good | 'Forever chemicals' measure pulled from defense bill Overnight Health Care — Presented by Johnson & Johnson – House progressives may try to block vote on Pelosi drug bill | McConnell, Grassley at odds over Trump-backed drug pricing bill | Lawmakers close to deal on surprise medical bills MORE (D-Calif.) has signaled that she thinks she can navigate the deal through her chamber: "I can get to yes," she told a colleague, according to the New York Times. House Majority Leader Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerHouse approves two-state resolution in implicit rebuke of Trump Overnight Health Care: House to vote next week on drug prices bill | Conway says Trump trying to find 'balance' on youth vaping | US spent trillion on hospitals in 2018 House to vote next week on sweeping bill to lower drug prices MORE (D-Md.), echoed Pelosi in an interview with Bloomberg: "We are trying to get to yes."

So let's get there. Let's approve a trade agreement that works for more Americans than its predecessor and move forward with expanding U.S. competitiveness in new, growing markets around the globe. Let's reestablish the stability and certainty that America needs.

We sure do need it here in Floyd County, Iowa, where my family grows corn and soybeans on our farm. We depend on export markets. One-third of what we grow ships to customers in other countries. Or at least it does when we're not getting entangled in trade conflicts. The tariffs are killing us, and the trade wars are not easy to win.

Like many other farmers, I have worked around the world to build relationships with the people who buy made-in-America farm goods. Several years ago, I visited Mexico to meet with customers and thank them for their purchases of U.S. grains. I'll never forget what one of them said later in 2017: "You don't need to convince us that our business is important to you. We know that. You need to convince your president."

So, I'm trying to convince everybody, from the man in the Oval Office to legislators in the U.S. House and the Senate, to ordinary citizens who don't think too hard about how their food moves from farms to forks.

The message is simple: We need USMCA.

We need it for our family farms. We need it for jobs in rural America. We need it for the whole nation.

We have a lot of work to do — and we must begin with a truly bipartisan effort that issues the first ceasefire in our disastrous trade wars.

Let's approve USMCA before it's too late. Let's get to yes.

Pam Johnson is a sixth-generation Iowa farmer, growing corn and soybeans on a family farm with her husband, two sons and their families. Johnson is a member of the Global Farmer Network. She served as an agricultural adviser to Hillary ClintonHillary Diane Rodham ClintonYang expands campaign with senior hires for digital operations Top GOP legislator in California leaves party GOP senators request interview with former DNC contractor to probe possible Ukraine ties MORE's 2016 campaign. Johnson also previously served as president of the National Corn Growers Association and president of Maizall, the international corn growers alliance.