Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said May 3 that the Trump administration would renegotiate NAFTA with Canada and Mexico with a focus on what has worked and what hasn't.
Trump appeared to be on the brink of pulling out of the trade agreement in April after strongly criticizing it during the 2016 campaign as a job-killer. But the former Georgia governor was one of several top officials who helped convince him not to do so, pointing out its benefits to agriculture and the potentially disruptive effect of an abrupt withdrawal.
Perdue was only in his second day in office at USDA when he found himself urgently arguing agriculture's case to the president. As Trump balances his strong dislike of trade agreements like NAFTA, which he called a "disaster" on the campaign trail, Perdue is prepared to continue that role.
Still, he's supportive of renegotiating the pact and says that while it has been good for Midwestern grain and dairy farmers, it hasn't been as beneficial for some other growers, including fruit and vegetable producers in South Florida.