AS/COA Vice President Eric Farnsworth spoke to Bloomberg’s Balance of Power about recent events in Latin America and the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

"It does seem to be like a season of discontent across much of South America," Farnsworth said. He called what is occurring in Chile “essentially a middle-class protest,” adding that with commodity prices low, there are less resources, and people are beginning to get frustrated.

“Many of us have used Chile as an example of what many in Latin America could aspire to be,” he said. “But what the problem is, is that those high expectations haven’t been met.”

Regarding USMCA, Farnsworth expressed optimism: “This is a moving target, but there is a certain optimism coming out of Congress.” He added: “I’m optimistic that they can move this forward, but they have to want to.”

Eric Farnsworth, vice president of AS/COA, spoke with Alix Steel and David Westin on Bloomberg Daybreak: Americas. Farnsworth spoke on the current negotiations and U.S-Mexico relations, saying, "The president seems to be expecting the impossible and the impossible seems to be the ending of migration from Central America to the United States or at least in a very constricted time frame. It does seem as if the president himself, based on his words, is looking for a record of achievement which could not be by definition accomplished by June 10."

Farnsworth also spoke of the future possibilities regarding U.S. President Donald Trump's decisions, saying, "The president can declare a national emergency saying this is a national security issue. He does, according to some people, have that authority to do so; Congress really couldn’t stop him at least in the near term." Farnsworth also touched on other officials' reactions, saying, "There are senior Republicans who have come out and said, 'This is not the way to approach the issue or our relationship with Mexico.'"