美国国家公共电台 NPR From The Front Lines Of NAFTA, More Relief Than Rejoicing

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NOEL KING, HOST:

President Trump¹ has boasted about the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal. And indeed, some analysts² are cautiously optimistic about it. But for many Americans from farmers to factory workers, the biggest news is not what's in the deal. It's the fact that there is a deal at all. NPR's Camila Domonoske has the story.

CAMILA DOMONOSKE, BYLINE³: Kevin Scott is a farmer in South Dakota. He's on the board of the American Soybean Association. And he's normally pretty busy this time of year. But last week, he was sitting in his office with a magazine.

KEVIN SCOTT: I am reading Dakota Farmer.

DOMONOSKE: The weather wasn't cooperating.

SCOTT: We had 6 1/2 inches of rain about a week ago, and then our weather's been overcast⁴ ever since and cool. And it makes it hard to do any combining on soybeans. That's for sure.

DOMONOSKE: So he had plenty of time to explain how he feels about NAFTA.

SCOTT: There were some things that needed to be modernized⁵. And we don't dispute that. We were pretty concerned, though, when it was pulled off the table.

DOMONOSKE: Soybean farmers are already reeling from tariffs⁶ imposed by China which have slashed⁷ sales to the largest export market. Losing sales to Mexico would be another blow.

SCOTT: The benefits sneak⁸ up on you. Trade develops slowly over time. These things get opened up. And then when they shut off, then you know what you've lost.

DOMONOSKE: So he's glad that there's a deal to replace NAFTA even if it just preserves the status quo for soybeans. To put it another way, he's relieved that negotiations⁹ are over rather than rejoicing at the outcome. Doyle Lentz, who farms wheat and barley¹⁰ in North Dakota, feels the same way even though he does see a benefit for wheat farmers in this deal. They'll be able to sell more wheat to Canada at fairer prices. Lentz is happy about that, but...

DOYLE LENTZ: I don't think there was any need to open NAFTA from an agriculture standpoint. Most of these things could have been remedied by just having, you know, an open communication and dialogue. I guess I'm more of the belief that's how you do negotiations and trade than, you know, hold a gun to somebody's head.

DOMONOSKE: Threatening to shred¹¹ a functioning trade deal?

LENTZ: Not worth the risk. There just wasn't enough benefit-risk ratio for me to open that up.

DOMONOSKE: It's not just farmers who are relieved that negotiations are over. Robert Gruschow is the president of Deshler Group, headquartered in Livonia, Mich. The company has more than 400 employees.

ROBERT GRUSCHOW: We supply everything from IT and global freight to manufacturing and assembly and warehousing primarily for automotive.

DOMONOSKE: He says that when the NAFTA renegotiations began, his business was in the middle of growing.

GRUSCHOW: We're in the process of expanding a facility in Ohio, our main and largest facility for metal forming products.

DOMONOSKE: Think metal rods and tubes that go into cars. But the uncertainty¹³ about NAFTA threw the fortunes of the auto¹² industry into doubt.

GRUSCHOW: Certainly that was a nervous time period for us as we're expanding, expecting future business and not really knowing what the future might hold.

DOMONOSKE: Gruschow says some elements of the new deal might help his company, like requiring a higher percentage of car parts to be made in North America. But his main takeaway...

GRUSCHOW: I think whatever the deal, whether it's net a beneficial or not to the auto industry, I think knowing and understanding what's coming is a relief.

DOMONOSKE: Of course not all the uncertainty is gone. Steel and aluminum¹⁴ tariffs remain in place. There's the big trade war with China. And the new deal still needs to be approved by Congress. Camila Domonoske, NPR News.

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