O'Reilly falsely claimed "[m]ost Republicans didn't want" NAFTA

Written by Rob Morlino

Published

Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that "[m]ost Republicans didn't want" the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was signed by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In fact, in both the House and the Senate, congressional Republicans voted overwhelmingly in favor of the agreement.


During the April 11 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, host Bill O'Reilly falsely claimed that "[m]ost Republicans didn't want" the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which was signed by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. In fact, in both the House and the Senate, congressional Republicans voted overwhelmingly in favor of the agreement: In the House, 132 Republicans voted in favor and 43 opposed, and in the Senate, 34 Republicans voted in favor and 10 against. O'Reilly's guest, New York City Councilman Charles Barron (D), noted that Democrats and Republicans supported the legislation. Democrats in the Senate voted against NAFTA (with 28 opposed and 27 in favor), as they did in the House (with 156 opposed and 102 in favor).

From the April 11 edition of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor:

O'REILLY: Who wanted NAFTA? Who wanted it?

BARRON: Republicans and Democrats. Both.

O'REILLY: Mexico wanted it.

BARRON: America wanted it.

O'REILLY: Most Republicans didn't want it.

BARRON: Yes, they did. That's why they got mad at Bill Clinton for having him pass it.

O'REILLY: You think Pat Buchanan and those guys wanted NAFTA?

BARRON: They're -- they wanted free trade.