The Coming Debate on NAFTA

The text of the proposed North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was submitted to the Congress by President Bush on 18 September 1992. Based on the timetable prescribed in the fast-track legislation under which the agreement was negotiated, the main congressional debate on NAFTA was thus reserved for the enabling legislation to be taken up in the post-electoral Congress. If approved by the three legislatures — Canada, Mexico and the United States — NAFTA will go into effect on 1 January 1994. This chapter examines the debate on NAFTA as it is shaping up in the United States.