“Today’s passage of USMCA in the Senate is great news for steelmakers, our workers and our customers. It will help create jobs and foster investment in manufacturing, building upon the success of NAFTA,” said Thomas J. Gibson, president and chief executive of the American Iron and Steel Institute. 

A bipartisan majority in the Senate ratified the agreement on Thursday, voting 89-10 in favor. The agreement will now go on to President Donald Trump for his signature. 

Gibson and Philip K. Bell, president of the Steel Manufacturers Association, said the North American steel industry will benefit because the new agreement strengthens the rules of origin for steel-intensive goods, incentivizing the use of North American steel. 

“The stronger definition of what constitutes North American steel will help ensure that more steel is made within the region,” Bell said, adding that it also includes strong provisions for trade enforcement, labor and the environment.

More specifically, the agreement promotes increased cooperation and information sharing among the North American governments to address circumvention and evasion of trade remedy orders. 

“These measures will help the steel industries of our three countries continue to work together to address the repeated surges of dumped and subsidized steel imports that have plagued the North American market in recent years,” Gibson said.