Illinois signs trade agreement with state of Mexico
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a trade agreement with the state of Mexico – commonly known as Edomex to distinguish it from the country as a whole – during a trip to the country on Monday, aiming to deepen economic cooperation.
Pritzker led the delegation of state officials and business leaders on a trade mission to Mexico, where he signed an addendum to the Illinois-Mexico Sister-State Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) alongside the State of Mexico Gov. Delfina Gómez Álvarez.
Pritzker's office confirmed to Fox News Digital that the MOU – a non-binding agreement between two or more parties that expresses an intent to cooperate – was between Illinois and the State of Mexico, one of 31 states that make up Mexico.
"Mexico has been an essential partner to the state of Illinois for decades, and I’m proud to stand alongside Governor Gómez Álvarez and assert the importance of this continuing relationship," Pritzker said in a written statement. "More than ever before, we must reassure our neighbors in Mexico that Illinois will remain a beacon of economic and cultural cooperation and opportunity for our people."
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The agreement focuses on bilateral trade in manufacturing, agriculture and finance between Illinois and the State of Mexico at a time when U.S. trade relations with Mexico have grown tense under President Donald Trump, who has threatened the country with tariffs.
The agreement also aims to strengthen supply chains, investments in e-mobility and agriculture tech, and promote "strategic alliances" between state government authorities, universities and research centers, Pritzker’s office said. It said another focus was on efficient and sustainable water usage and biotechnology that can lead to a "clean water future."
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Illinois GOP Chair Kathy Salvi was critical of Pritzker’s trip, telling "Fox & Friends First" on Tuesday that it was merely an Illinois "junket" to Mexico sponsored by taxpayer dollars.
"To do it on the suffering Illinois businesses and taxpayers, families who are being forced out of the state, this beautiful state, that’s unheard of, but that’s Pritzker’s way," Salvi said of the Democrat governor's trip. "He lives in a bubble of unreality and he’s hurting us. He’s one big hurt here in Illinois."
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Pritzker’s trade mission to Mexico comes after several high-profile businesses – Boeing, Tyson Foods and Caterpillar, among others – moved their headquarters out of Illinois in recent years.