2020 FactCheck: on Free Trade

Joe Biden: FactCheck: Yes, US has tried "Buy American" for 100 years

Yes, it's true. Some examples:

• 1933: The "Buy American Act" prefers US-made products in US government purchases.
• 1954: Pres. Eisenhower signed Executive Order 10582, "Prescribing Uniform Procedures for the Buy-American Act"
• 1983: The "Buy America Act" applies to mass-transit procurements.
• 2009: Heritage Foundation (right-wing) opposed stimulus bill's "Buy American," as limiting competition increases costs.
• 2017: Jacobin Magazine (left-wing) opposed "Buy American" as anti-immigrant, and was the same in the 1930s & 1980s.
• 2019: Pres. Trump signed Executive Order 13811, "Maximizing Use of American-Made Goods," enforcing the 1933 Act plus a "Hire American" rule.
  Biden is accurate, but "Buy American" has never been "fully done" because of opposition from both the right and the left. Source: OnTheIssues Fact-check on CNN Town Hall 2020 Sep 17, 2020

  Donald Trump: Fact-Check:USMCA mostly a cosmetic refreshing of NAFTA

  President Trump said, "One of the single biggest promises I made to the American people was to replace the disastrous NAFTA trade deal. I replaced NAFTA and signed the brand new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law. The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers."

  Fact -Check: The agreement updates NAFTA, covering things such as digital commerce, which barely existed when the original deal was signed a quarter-century ago. But despite the president's claims, USMCA is mostly a cosmetic refreshing of NAFTA, not a wholesale replacement. On the whole, the USMCA's economic effects are expected to be modest. The main benefit of the deal is that it avoids the disruption that would have come had Trump made good on his threat to scrap NAFTA with no replacement.

  Source: NPR Fact-Check on 2020 State of the Union address Feb 4, 2020

  Donald Trump: Fact-Check: Union support for USMCA was mixed

  President Trump said, "The USMCA will create nearly 100,000 new high-paying American auto jobs, and massively boost exports for our farmers, ranchers, and factory workers. This is the first major trade deal in many years to earn the strong backing of America's labor unions."

  Fact -Check: Support for USMCA among labor unions was mixed. While the AFL-CIO backed the agreement, others did not. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers and the United Auto Workers all expressed disappointment over the deal.

  Source: NPR Fact-Check on 2020 State of the Union address Feb 4, 2020

  The above quotations are from Fact-checking on 2020 Presidential, Gubernatorial, and Senatorial campaigns. Click here for definitions & background information on Free Trade. Click here for other issues (main summary page). Click here for more quotes by Donald Trump on Free Trade. Click here for more quotes by Joe Biden on Free Trade.
  2020 Presidential contenders on Free Trade:
  	Democrats running for President: Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO) V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE) Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC) Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT) Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN) Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ) Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX) Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI) Rep.John Delaney (D-MD) Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA) Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT) CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA) Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) Marianne Williamson (D-CA) CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY) 2020 Third Party Candidates: Rep.Justin Amash (L-MI) CEO Don Blankenship (C-WV) Gov.Lincoln Chafee (L-RI) Howie Hawkins (G-NY) Gov.Gary Johnson(L-NM) Howard Schultz(I-WA) Gov.Jesse Ventura (I-MN)	Republicans running for President: Sen.Ted Cruz(R-TX) Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD) Gov.John Kasich(R-OH) V.P.Mike Pence(R-IN) Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC) Pres.Donald Trump(R-NY) Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL) Gov.Bill Weld(R-MA & L-NY) 2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates: Sen.Stacey Abrams (D-GA) Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC) Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK) Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA) Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO) Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA) Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL) Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA) Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX) Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA) Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA) Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
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  Page last updated: Dec 01, 2021