AAR 'pleased' with new North American trade pact

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) endorsed yesterday's news that Canada has agreed to sign on to a trade deal with the United States and Mexico.

Canadian officials announced late last night that they agreed to the pact, which the United States and Mexico had reached last month. The new treaty will preserve the three-nation format of the original North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).

In a prepared statement issued this morning, AAR President and Chief Executive Officer Edward Hamberger said the private freight railroad industry is pleased with the new deal.

"The free flow of goods across North America without burdensome tariffs is a net positive for U.S. workers, bedrock industries and the economy," said Hamberger. "Our industry knows this firsthand due to the massive amounts of goods we move – such as automobiles, agricultural yields and energy products – as part of a sophisticated supply chain that was shaped in large part by free trade."

President Trump and his counterparts in Mexico and Canada are expected to sign the agreement during the next 60 days. Congress will likely act on the pact next year, according to national news reports.

"We encourage Congress to address this new agreement in a very deliberate yet urgent manner to provide much-needed certainty for commerce across this continent," Hamberger said.