Will the revised NAFTA deal add 180,000 jobs every year?

“We are looking at the USMCA, NAFTA 2.0 trade deal. That would be very important and would add a half a point of GDP and 180,000 new jobs per year if we get that through.”

— Larry Kudlow, director of the White House National Economic Council, in an interview on “Fox News Sunday,” Aug. 18

Kudlow made this comment when he was asked by “Fox News Sunday” guest anchor Dana Perino what additional measures might be needed to bolster the economy. “I don’t think additional measures are needed,” he replied, making this statement about how the renegotiated North American Free Trade Agreement would result in an additional 180,000 jobs a year.

What’s that claim based on?

The Facts

A White House official said Kudlow was referring to an estimate of 176,000 jobs in a report issued in April by the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC). The report uses an economy-wide model to estimate what the effect of the agreement would be once the U.S. economy has adjusted to the full implementation of the law.