Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs was in Washington, D.C., last week to advocate for trade with Mexico and Canada ahead of the summer review of the USMCA trade treaty.
Mexican and U.S. trade delegations also met last week to start talks before that review.
Arizona-Mexico Commission spokesperson Vanessa Nielsen said Hobbs and the Arizona business leaders who joined her on the trip stressed the importance of trade with Mexico and Canada to the state’s economy.
“No other state or governor is doing more to further this review, and hopefully renewal, of the USMCA,” Nielsen said.
The trade agreement is up for its first six-year review this summer. President Donald Trump’s first administration negotiated the treaty to replace NAFTA. But earlier this year, Trump called the trade pact “irrelevant.” If parties aren’t able to come to an agreement this summer, the treaty could expire.
Mexico is currently Arizona’s largest trading partner. Billions of dollars worth of goods pass over their shared border each year.
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The political world is abuzz with the news that we, for the first time ever, officially have two lieutenant governor picks. Republican candidate Andy Biggs chose former state lawmaker and dairy farmer Sine Kerr and Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs made a more unconventional choice in picking John Giles, a former Mesa mayor and former Republican.
