U.S. Senators Ask State Department To Pressure Mexico To Expand Essential Business Designations
Last week, a bipartisan group of 11 senators wrote to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asking that the Trump administration press the Mexican government to change its definition of “essential businesses” to include industries that produce materials needed for food, medical, and other critical goods needed during the coronavirus crisis.
Led by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the group argued, “Both nations will only be able to reduce the economic impact of this global challenge through increased coordination, and ensuring functioning supply chains is a vital step in doing so.”
As Connecting the Dotsreported previously, with the National Association of Manufacturers and more than 325 other organizations, the Metals Service Center Institute sent a letter on April 22 to Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asking that his government allow U.S. manufacturers to continue operating safely in Mexico. The letter underscored the importance of aligning Mexico’s critical infrastructure provisions with U.S. guidance.