Bernie Sanders reveals he won't vote for USMCA, says climate change omission in deal is an 'outrage'
It's a no from Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on the U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.
During Thursday's Democratic primary debate, Sanders revealed he would not be voting for the USMCA, which overwhelmingly passed the House earlier Thursday with bipartisan backing.
"This is a modest improvement over what we have right now," Sanders said.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
He went on to say the deal won't stop outsourcing or prevent corporations from utilizing cheap labor in Mexico, although it would allow Mexican workers to potentially unionize.
Sanders also called the omission of climate change in the deal an "outrage."
Fellow presidential candidate Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) followed-up Sanders' remarks by voicing her own support for the deal, citing fellow Midwestern Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) who also supports the agreement.
Sanders also used his moment to recycle a not-so-subtle shot at former Vice President Joe Biden, saying "I, unlike some of my colleagues here, voted against NAFTA, voted against PNTR with China — two agreements that cost us over four million decent paying jobs."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Marianne is The Week’s Social Media Editor. She is a native Tennessean and recent graduate of Ohio University, where she studied journalism and political science. Marianne has previously written for The Daily Beast, The Crime Report, and The Moroccan Times.
-
A fentanyl vaccine may be on the horizonUnder the radar Taking a serious jab at the opioid epidemic
-
The 8 best comedy TV series of 2025the week recommends From quarterlife crises to Hollywood satires, these were the funniest shows of 2025
-
Codeword: December 16, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
