Two major business groups have launched efforts to stress the importance of free trade to the U.S. economy, with the North American Free Trade Agreement being a focus.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced Thursday the reintroduction of "Faces of Trade," a public relations campaign to highlight "the real-life stories of the American workers, farmers, and entrepreneurs whose livelihoods have been supported and improved by global trade." And on Wednesday, Business Roundtable held a North American CEO Forum to discuss upcoming NAFTA negotiations.

President Donald Trump announced in May he will seek to renegotiate NAFTA to get a better deal for the U.S. He had previously threatened to withdraw from the trade agreement, calling it "the worst trade deal ever."

Faces of Trade consists a series of videos highlighting business owners who benefit from trade. The latest videos feature business people from Midwest and East Coast states.

"The folks we introduce in Faces of Trade are real people with stories to tell about how trade has helped them to grow their businesses, create jobs, and support their local economies," Chamber Executive Vice President and Head of International Affairs Myron Brilliant said. "Unfortunately, tariffs and other barriers raised by foreign governments have held them back and have hurt many Americans along the way." http://uscham.com/2s8h0uz

As for BRT, business leaders from the U.S., Canada and Mexico met in Washington, D.C., to talk about "modernizing" NAFTA. Afterward, they released a joint statement saying that supported negotiations to make "the North American marketplace even more vibrant and competitive."

"We urge our governments to preserve and build on NAFTA's proven benefits for businesses, workers and consumers," the business leaders said. "Negotiators must take care not to erect new barriers to the $1.3 trillion in trade across our borders." http://bit.ly/2r6grkF

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