January 29, 2020
Arlington, VA – Today, CASE Chairman Gerard Scimeca issued the following statement upon
the signing of the United States-Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) by President Trump.
“CASE applauds the Trump Administration’s making the modernization of the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) a priority. Free trade agreements certainly benefit the economy and U.S.
workers,” said Scimeca. “Unfortunately, however, this is not the win promised to American consumers
for the past two years.”
“Most notably, the new agreement lacks critical intellectual property protections for biologic medicines
developed here in the United States. Over a year ago, the Trump Administration successfully negotiated
ten years of protections for American companies abroad, preventing foreign freeloading of American
innovation and ensuring our patients at home continue to benefit from the best cures and the most
access to treatments anywhere in the world.
“New cures necessitate significant investment, costing billions of dollars and years of research and
development. Biologics are created using living cells and lead to some of the most significant
breakthroughs in medicine. However, because the new agreement pushed by Speaker Pelosi no longer
protects American investment, market incentives will weaken, resulting in decreased investment and
fewer innovative cures.
“Consumers deserve more than the USMCA in its current form. CASE urges Congress and the Trump
Administration to prioritize protecting American patients and U.S. intellectual property.”
