Bernie Sanders reveals he won't vote for USMCA, says climate change omission in deal is an 'outrage'

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan /Getty)

published 20 December 2019

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.

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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."

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Marianne is The Weekâ€™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.