[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1993, Book II)]
[November 15, 1993]
[Pages 1998-2000]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Letter to Congressional Leaders on NAFTA
November 15, 1993

Dear Mr. Speaker:  (Dear Mr. Leader:)

    As we approach the end of an intense debate over the North American 
Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), I want to share with you my reasons for 
believing Congressional approval of NAFTA is essential to our national 
interest.

    We share a commitment to ensuring that our country has the world's 
strongest and most competitive economy, to maintaining and creating jobs 
for our workers, and to making sure that opportunities are there for our 
children as they join the workforce of the future. That is why I am 
fighting for the approval of NAFTA. I am convinced that it will help 
strengthen our economy--in the near term and in the long run.

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    Our nation's prosperity depends on our ability to compete and win in 
the global economy. It is an illusion to believe that we can prosper by 
retreating behind protectionist walls. We will succeed only by ensuring 
that we have the world's most competitive companies, productive workers, 
and open markets in which to sell our manufactured goods, services, and 
agricultural products.

    I understand that NAFTA is, for many, a reminder of the economic 
hardships and insecurities that have grown over the past 20 years. 
Obviously, NAFTA did not cause those problems. In fact, it is part of 
the solution. We are world-class producers of everything from computers 
and automobiles to financial services and soybeans. We can compete 
anywhere, but we need to ensure that markets around the world are open 
to our products.

    Mexico represents an enormous opportunity for our businesses, our 
workers, and our farmers. Exports there have already soared since 1986, 
when Mexico began to open its market and lower trade barriers. But the 
status quo in the trading relationship--in which Mexico's trade barriers 
are far higher than ours--is still unacceptable. NAFTA represents both 
free and fair trade. It changes the status quo by wiping away the 
Mexican barriers.

    NAFTA provides us preferential access to the Mexican market: 90 
million people, in one of the most dynamic growing economies in the 
world, who look to us for consumer goods, agricultural products and the 
infrastructure needed to build a modern economy. It is the gateway to 
the fast growing markets of Latin America, which are also opening, where 
we have a natural advantage over Japan and the European Community. 
Turning away from this opportunity would be a serious self-inflicted 
wound to our economy. It would cost us jobs--in the short and long term.

    Many opponents of NAFTA say that they don't oppose a trade agreement 
with Mexico. They say they just oppose this NAFTA, and suggest that it 
be renegotiated. We should be under no illusions. This is a far-reaching 
and fair agreement. It was negotiated painstakingly over three years 
with input from a broad array of groups, and it is in the best interest 
of the United States, Mexico and Canada. It represents an unprecedented 
effort to include in a trade agreement provisions to enhance 
environmental protection and workers rights. It was negotiated by a 
Republican President, and endorsed and strengthened by a Democratic 
President. If it were defeated, no government of Mexico could return, or 
would return, to the negotiating table for years to come. Mexico would 
turn to others, like Japan and the European Community, for help in 
building a modern state--and American workers, farmers, and businesses 
would be the losers.

    Of course, NAFTA is not a magic bullet for all our economic 
problems. But there is no question that NAFTA will benefit every region 
of our country. It is no accident that NAFTA has the support of more 
than two-thirds of the nation's governors and Members of Congress from 
every part of the nation. They understand the benefits that will flow to 
their states, regardless of region.

    My main reason for supporting NAFTA is that it will be good for the 
competitive U.S. economy that we are trying to build. But there is 
another critical issue that I ask you to consider. After World War I, 
the United States chose the path of isolation and protectionism. That 
path led directly to the Depression, and helped set the world on the 
path to World War II. After World War II, we chose to engage with the 
world, through collective security and expanded trade. We helped our 
allies rebuild, ushered in a period of unprecedented global economic 
growth, and prevailed over communism.

    Now we face another defining moment. The rejection of NAFTA would 
set back our relationship with Mexico, and Latin American beyond, for 
years to come. It would send a signal that the world's leading power has 
chosen the path of pessimism and protectionism. It would gravely 
undermine our ability to convince other countries to join us in 
completing the Uruguay Round, which is essential to expand trade and 
enhance global growth.

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    Rejecting NAFTA would, quite simply, put us on the wrong side of 
history. That is not our destiny. I ask the House of Representatives to 
join me in choosing the path of expanded trade, to make the decision to 
compete in the world, rather than to retreat behind our borders. We are 
a great country, and we cannot shrink from this test.
    Sincerely,

                                                            Bill Clinton

Note: Identical letters were sent to Thomas S. Foley, Speaker of the 
House of Representatives, and Robert H. Michel, House Republican leader. 
This letter was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on 
November 16 but was not issued as a White House press release.