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Today, Congressman Jodey Arrington (TX-19) delivered a speech on the House floor advocating free and fair trade. For 16 consecutive years, Texas has led the nation in trade exports, with over $264 billion in value last year, and the 10^th largest economy in the world. Last week, Arrington joined 106 of his Republican colleagues in a letter to President Trump expressing “deep concern about the prospect of broad, global tariffs on aluminum and steel imports.” “Trade has a significant impact on our state, and because of that, I urged the President to take a more measured and surgical approach in imposing tariffs. Free trade only works if everyone plays by the same rules. I’m glad the President narrowed these tariffs to target bad actors, like China, who need to be held accountable. By doing so, we ensure fair competition while protecting our national security interests and consumers here at home,” Arrington said.

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A transcript of Arrington’s remarks, as prepared, follows below. “The year 1776 marked a turning point, not only in American history, but in human history. “While brave patriots here in America were affirming their right to equal representation and ultimately revolution, a Scottish philosopher named Adam Smith was revolutionizing the way we think about economics. “In ‘The Wealth of Nations’, Smith extolled the virtues of free markets and free trade, showing how all benefit from robust competition and an open marketplace. “Mister Speaker, because of tax cuts and regulatory reform, returning to freer markets in this country, we have this economy off high center and growing at a rate we haven’t seen in over a decade. “While some of my friends across the aisle would like to dispute this, the results speak for themselves. “Just last month our economy added over 300,000 new jobs and over 800,000 people joined the labor force, the largest one-month jump in over thirty years. “Mister Speaker, people are looking for work and they are finding work. With the stock market, business and consumer confidence and the labor participation rate at all-time highs, the last thing we need and want to do is impose a new kind of government intervention to diminish the great economic progress we’ve made. “I am concerned, Mister Speaker, about these tariffs that the White House and others have talked about. If not appropriately targeted, they could have unintended, negative consequences on the American economy, on the American consumers, and on hard-working American families. “The Texas delegation has a unique stake in this issue. For 16 consecutive years, Texas has been the top exporting state in the country, with over $264 billion in exports for 2017. So, trade policy has a significant impact on our constituents. “That is why last week my colleagues and I sent a letter authored by Ways and Means Chairman Kevin Brady to the President urging him to take a more measured and surgical approach in imposing tariffs, and I am glad the White House and the President heard and heeded our pleas. “I believe in free trade, Mister Speaker. I believe in open global markets, and its improved standard of living for everyone. However, free trade only works if everyone plays by the same rules. That is, free trade and fair trade go hand in hand. “For years, China has been gaming the system by dumping their product, infringing on our intellectual property rights, manipulating their currency, and circumventing trade agreements. President Trump was right to call them out, he was right to hold them accountable, and I’m confident we can work with the White House so that tariffs ensure fair competition and protect our national security interests, while also making sure we don’t harm consumers here at home.”

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