WASHINGTON (April 30, 2020)—The Border Trade Alliance today thanked U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) for leading a bipartisan group of senators in urging U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to work closely with Mexico to coordinate that country’s definition of “essential businesses” in order to avoid disruptions to the cross-border supply chain.

In a letter to Sec. Pompeo, Sen. Cornyn, Sen. Feinstein and the other senators cited concerns that, unless Mexico further clarifies its essential businesses definition, critical components in the supply chains of industries ranging from aerospace, to construction, to food could face interruptions.

“The leadership of Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Feinstein during this tumultuous period has been invaluable,” BTA President Ms. Britton Clarke said. “The maintenance of cross-border trade is critical in order to avoid even more harm to the North American economy. As we approach the implementation of the USMCA, we thank Sen. Cornyn and Sen. Feinstein for ensuring the continuity of our international supply chains with as few disruptions as possible.”

The BTA earlier this month sent its own letter to the secretary of Mexico’s Ministry of Health urging greater alignment between Mexico, the U.S. and Canada in defining an essential service or industry.

“Discrepancies between countries in the identification of essential services and industries are likely to cause increased disruptions to cross-border supply chains at a time when ensuring and preserving efficient cross-border trade and commerce is more important than ever, especially in industries like medical supplies, personal protective equipment, agribusiness, manufacturing and food and beverage (non-alcohol and alcohol),” the BTA letter says.

# # #

 

Since 1986, the BTA has served as a grassroots, non-profit organization that provides a forum for discussion and advocacy on issues pertaining to border development and quality of life and trade in the Americas. A network of public and private sector representatives from the United States, Mexico and Canada, BTA’s core values include a commitment to improving the quality of life of border communities through trade and commerce. The BTA is online at thebta.org and @borderalliance.