September 4, 2019

The Honorable Doug Ducey
Governor of Arizona
1700 West Washington, 9th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85007
Dear Governor Ducey:
I am writing in support of your calls for the Arizona congressional delegation in Washington to
support ratification of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). This trade deal is
essential for the long-term well-being of Arizona, and for the broader competitiveness of our
North American region.
The economic facts are incontrovertible. Mexico and Canada are now the top two trading
partners of the United States, accounting for $20 billion in trade with Arizona alone, and
supporting more than 228,000 jobs in our state. As an emerging middle-class economic power
on the global stage, and a close US ally, Mexico is a strategic partner and market for Arizona,
its businesses, and its knowledge enterprises like Arizona State University. Our fates are
intertwined, and Arizona’s close historical, cultural, economic, and demographic ties to Mexico
are one of our state’s competitive advantages.
The quarter-century since the passage of the original North American Free Trade Agreement
has improved the global competitiveness of the North American trading bloc, and increased
living standards and strengthened the rule of law in Mexico. The USMCA builds upon that
success by creating strong cross-border intellectual property and digital trade protections, and
by expanding labor and environment provisions.
The USMCA is a truly 21st century trade agreement that provides the proper framework for
Arizona and Mexico to deepen our mutually beneficial ties. We at Arizona State University, like
our sister institutions of higher learning in the state, are committed to expanding our portfolio of
cross-border research collaborations with Mexican counterparts, an overview of which can be
viewed here: mexico.asu.edu. We want Arizonan and Mexican researchers working side-by-side
to help our societies overcome shared challenges, particularly on sustainability and
environmental issues that transcend political boundaries.
Governments representing a wide range of ideological and all major partisan persuasions in our
three nations have rightly embraced North American free trade and closer economic integration.
Today, more than ever, it is in the best interest of Arizona that we recommit to closer ties with
our neighbors and build a better shared future by ratifying USMCA.
Sincerely,

Michael M. Crow
President