[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 209 (Thursday, December 21, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1745]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                                 NAFTA

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 21, 2017

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, twenty-three years ago, the North 
American Free Trade Agreement revolutionized trade and investment 
between the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. We share thousands of miles of 
border with Canada and Mexico. They are our neighbors and our natural 
partners in trade and security. This partnership has been shaped by 
NAFTA.
   I am a strong supporter of free trade. America's strength is closely 
connected to its economic well-being. When we break down trade 
barriers, American trade and American jobs increase. Trade is the 
lifeblood of my great home state of Texas. Last year in Texas almost 
one million jobs were supported by trade.
   Texas has been the top exporting state in the U.S. for 14 
consecutive years. The overwhelming majority of Texas exporters are not 
big corporations: 93 percent of Texas exporters are small- and medium-
sized businesses. In my district in Houston, over half of the economy 
depends on trade. Houston has one of the largest ports in the world and 
is the oil and gas capital of the world. And guess where we Texans 
export the most--Mexico and Canada. Our NAFTA partners. But, Texas is 
just one of the many states that rely on NAFTA to fuel its economy. 
Study after study has shown that increased trade leads to increased 
jobs for Americans. More jobs mean more wealth for the average American 
citizen.
   NAFTA supports 14 million U.S. jobs. Thanks to NAFTA, trade between 
the U.S., Mexico, and Canada has tripled. Nearly every industry is 
affected in one way or another by NAFTA. The U.S. economy needs a 
strong NAFTA. But free trade agreements like NAFTA do more than just 
grow our economy. Trade is one of our best tools of foreign policy. We 
have seen the connection between free trade and freedom, opportunity, 
and prosperity again and again. When we signed NAFTA, Mexico was a 
developing country. Its economy was one of the most closed in the 
world.
   Now, thanks in part to NAFTA, Mexico has an open economy valued at 
$2.2 trillion. This growth has made Mexico a more stable neighbor. This 
increased trade between our three countries has also deepened our ties 
with Mexico and Canada, allowing us to work together on many critical 
issues.
   Today, we cooperate with the Mexican government on issues of border 
security, immigration, and the fight against organized crime and drug 
trafficking. Our southern border security depends on our joint efforts 
with Mexico. Cooperation with Canada also improved due to NAFTA. Our 
forces train and work together to defend North America. We fight side 
by side against national security threats like ISIS and partner as NATO 
members. These are some of the most critical issues to our national 
security and to the security of our world.
   That brings me to the reason we are all here today; to address the 
renegotiation of this critical free trade agreement. A lot has changed 
in 23 years. The internet has transformed the way companies do 
business. Reforms in Mexico have created new opportunities for U.S. 
businesses. The renegotiation presents an opportunity to update the 
agreement in areas like energy, e-commerce, customs and trade 
facilitation, and many others to strengthen and promote trade. While 
there is a lot of opportunity to strengthen the agreement, there is 
also the risk of hurting U.S. businesses and workers.
   Hundreds of thousands of jobs across North America could be at risk 
if we pull out of NAFTA, or if we weaken the agreement. We could also 
do damage to our partnerships with Mexico and Canada that have made 
North America so strong. There has been harsh criticism of NAFTA for 
decades. But we must separate the rhetoric from the facts. The fact is 
that NAFTA has benefited all three of our countries.
   So, I encourage the administration to strengthen and modernize 
NAFTA. There is always room for improvement. We have a rare opportunity 
here to rewrite the rules of North American trade. But we must take 
this opportunity to rewrite them for the better. It is important to the 
U.S. economy and national security that throughout the renegotiations 
the administration focuses on reaching an agreement that promotes free 
trade.
   We are sending a message to our current and future trading partners 
through this renegotiation. The U.S. should send a strong signal of our 
support for free trade. A strong U.S. economy depends on a strong 
framework for free trade. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses 
how the administration can strengthen NAFTA.

                          ____________________