Grassley: Talk of NAFTA exit a tactic

By Ed Tibbetts, Quad City Times

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, says he thinks the reports Wednesday that the Trump administration was considering leaving the North American Free Trade Agreement was a negotiating tactic and that the pact has been good for agriculture.

Grassley spoke with reporters from the Quad-Cities on Thursday after meeting with a delegation to Washington, D.C., led by the Quad-Cities Chamber of Commerce. The delegation is in Washington this week for its annual meeting with area lawmakers and executive branch agencies.

Grassley, who has long been a champion of free trade, said there were two options floating Wednesday ? renegotiation or withdrawal.

?I think the withdrawal one is posturing,? he said.

President Donald Trump has long complained that NAFTA was a bad deal for the United States. And late Wednesday, there were reports that the Trump administration was preparing an executive order to withdraw from NAFTA.

Later, the president tweeted that he would renegotiate with Mexico and Canada instead.

Trade is an important part of the Quad-Cities economy, and Grassley said it has been good for Iowa agriculture.

On Thursday, the president told reporters he would seek to renegotiate, but he left open the option of terminating the pact if negotiations are not successful.