Import and export activity is an essential aspect of optimizing economic performance. By allowing each nation to focus resources on those goods and services where it has a competitive advantage and import other products, foreign trade helps improve business conditions and quality of life around the globe.
President Trump has signed the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) into law, replacing the 25-year old North American Free Trade Agreement. A strong trade agreement with Mexico and Canada is clearly a "win" for the US economy. Mexico has also passed the USMCA, and the ratification process is currently underway in Canada.
President Trump's recent announcement that the United States and the European Union (EU) would begin trade negotiations and work toward reducing constraints that could yield short-term success and help set the stage for other progress in the near future. EU members are major US trading partners, and, not only would a strong trade deal with zero tariffs have the potential to further enhance economies on both sides of the Atlantic, but also provide substantial benefits for the state of Texas.
Almost a year after the three countries signed the new US-Mexico-Canada trade deal, there's an agreement to make it the new NAFTA. Dr. Perryman says a big winner is Texas.
Today Dr. Perryman tackles what he calls the "campaign season myth" that somehow trade deals are leading to a loss of US jobs.