Press Releases

Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) joined Congressmen Kevin Brady (TX-8) and Henry Cuellar (TX-28) in leading a bipartisan group of lawmakers from the Texas congressional delegation to advocate for passage of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) before the end of the year. As a state, Texas exported over $137 billion to Mexico and Canada last year. In District 19 alone, more than $2 billion worth of goods were exported to Mexico and Canada in 2018, and nearly half of all trade-related jobs in the District are connected to trade with our North American partners. Below are excerpts from remarks by members of the Texas congressional delegation who participated in today’s press conference: “This would be a huge win for Texas farmers and ranchers. It’s critical we resolve the issues and come together to do what’s good for this country,” said Arrington. “We believe no state will benefit more and no state has more to lose,” said Rep. Kevin Brady (TX-8). “As a Texas delegation, we’re here to say we want this done this year,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar (TX-28). “Think of the 2.2 billion dollars in increased agriculture trade we have lost waiting on this agreement,” said Rep. Mike Conaway (TX-11). “Texas 22 is the most diverse district in the nation and all of those people want one thing: pass USMCA,” said Rep. Pete Olson (TX-22). “This isn’t just important for Texas, this is important for the rest of our country and the rest of the world,” said Rep. Will Hurd (TX-23). “The best thing that the folks in this capitol building can do is to give the American people the USMCA as a Christmas present,” said Rep. Bill Flores (TX-17). “It’s time Speaker Pelosi hears the bipartisan, collective voices supporting this agreement,” said Rep. Roger Williams (TX-25). “The things that make America great are the things America makes,” said Rep. Randy Weber (TX-14). “This is an important agreement, it’s brought Democrats and Republicans together. It’s something that means a lot, particularly to my district,” said Rep. Van Taylor (TX-3). “The USMCA will reform and strengthen our entire export process, and it must be brought to a vote,” said Rep. Brian Babin (TX-36). “We’ve got lots of agriculture and lots of industry in East Texas. It works for us, it’s better than NAFTA, we just need to do it,” said Rep. Louie Gohmert (TX-1). “There are no downsides to this deal, only upsides,” said Rep. Dan Crenshaw (TX-2). “This is ultimately, for me, about jobs. Of course it’s important to realize those jobs aren’t numbers on a spreadsheet, those jobs are families,” said Rep. Michael Cloud (TX-27). “If this was brought to the floor today, it would pass right now. I’m not sure what we’re waiting for,” said Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21). “This agreement levels the playing field for dairy farmers. They have a tough job,” said Rep. Ron Wright (TX-6). “It’s bipartisan, it’s important to Texas, and we can all go home when this is passed and tell our constituents what we did for them,” said Rep. Kay Granger (TX-12).   WATCH THE FULL PRESS CONFERENCE HERE: