{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://watkins.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-steve-watkins-applauds-passage-usmca", "Congressman Steve Watkins Applauds Passage of USMCA", "2019-12-19", "2019", "2019-12", "Republican", "House", "KS", "Steven Watkins", "W000824", "watkins.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Press Contact:Dylan.Jones@mail.house.gov\n\nFor Immediate Release:\nDecember 19, 2019\n\nCongressman Steve Watkins Applauds Passage of USMCA\n\nWashington, D.C. Congressman Steve Watkins (KS-02), one of two freshman lawmakers on Republican Whip Steve Scalise's USMCA Whip Team, applauds the passage of the historic United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) trade deal with Canada and Mexico, Kansas' two largest trading partners. USMCA is a rebalanced and modernized North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) for the 21st century. Kansas currently exports around $2.0 billion to each country, and this agreement will only increase those exports.\n\nCongressman SteveWatkinsissued the following statement:\nKansans will prosper from this historic USMCA trade deal for generations to come. Kansas farmers, ranchers, workers, and business owners tell me every day how much they need this critical agreement that will provide greater access to markets, and freer and fairer trade with our largest trading partners. 384 days ago, President Trump signed USMCA and sent it to Congress, delivering on a key promise to re-negotiate the best North American trade deal possible for the United States. It is disgraceful that the obstructionist Democrats have held USMCA hostage for over a year  depriving families of the tremendous economic growth that USMCA is sure to bring  and chose instead to waste time and taxpayer dollars conducting a rigged, baseless impeachment inquiry. I am glad we were able to get USMCA one step closer to passage into law, and that my work on the USMCA Whip Team is helping to get this crucial trade deal across the finish line. \n\nRepublican Whip Steve Scalise issued the following statement: \nUSMCA is a triumph for workers. President Trump has delivered a 21st century trade deal that truly benefits the forgotten men and women of America. It has been a team effort to get this deal over the finish line and no team was more critical to this process than the USMCA Whip Team. We wouldn't be here without Steve's hard work and engagement.\n\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://watkins.house.gov/media/press-releases/congressman-steve-watkins-applauds-passage-usmca"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.461057923734188, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}