Today, the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), the trade association for America's most recognized and innovative retail brands, issued the following statement reacting to reports of Canada and Mexico's rejection of proposals made during the most recent round of NAFTA renegotiations:
"Simply put, we cannot afford for the United States to abandon free trade. A collapse of the NAFTA trade agreement between the United States and our two largest trading partners would be an economic catastrophe, with massive disruptions in agriculture and manufacturing and increased costs for American consumers. As retailers, we strongly urge all parties to preserve the parts of NAFTA that work for American businesses and to avoid proposals that would damage the U.S. economy and hurt American families," said Hun Quach, vice president of international trade policy for RILA.
RILA is the trade association of the world’s largest and most innovative retail companies. RILA members include more than 200 retailers, product manufacturers, and service suppliers, which together account for more than $1.5 trillion in annual sales, millions of American jobs and more than 100,000 stores, manufacturing facilities and distribution centers domestically and abroad.
###