The White House NAFTA NOTES Wednesday, October 6, 1993 _________________________________________________________________ President Continues NAFTA Push In California * President Clinton continued to take his argument that NAFTA will create high-wage American jobs to the people of California following his speech to the AFL-CIO convention on Monday. In remarks to California citizens, political leaders and business leaders the President stressed his belief that NAFTA will help to reverse the course that the American economy took over the last twelve years. "The objections to NAFTA," the President stated, "are basically objections to the system that has existed for the last 12 years, of being able to go down just across the border, set up a plant, have lower wages, lower environmental costs, and export back into America with no tariffs." "The question the American people should be asking," the President concluded, "is if we adopt this trade agreement, will it make it better or worse? It will plainly make it better." New England Kicks Off Series of Leadership Briefings * The Vice President, Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, USTR Mickey Kantor, EPA Administrator Carol Browner, and NAFTA Coordinator William Daley held the first in a series of briefings yesterday for business and community leaders from New England. Tomorrow and Thursday, similar briefings will be held for North Carolina and New Jersey leaders. Commerce Study Sees $2 Billion Increase In Auto Trade with NAFTA * Following up on the President's argument that NAFTA will create more and better U.S. jobs, the Commerce Department yesterday released a study which foresees a $2 billion increase in U.S. automobile exports to Mexico under NAFTA. "NAFTA automotive provisions," the study states, "provide the opportunity for increased U.S. exports of approximately $2 billion in 1994, with increasing potential over the 10-year transition period." * Announcing the study, Commerce Secretary Ron Brown said that NAFTA "is a big plus to the automotive industry -- it means exports and it means jobs." The study found that the American automobile industry is one of America's biggest winners under the NAFTA. By removing Mexican laws requiring that U.S. automakers build in Mexico most of what they sell in Mexico, U.S. automakers will be able to export American-made cars for sale to Mexican consumers. NAFTA Fact * The Big Three automakers expect that 15,000 American jobs will be supported by increased U.S. automotive exports to Mexico in the first year of NAFTA alone. # # #