Candidate Donald Trump spoke frequently about bad trade deals – particularly the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA.) In fact, he once called NAFTA the “worst trade deal ever.” But as president, Trump has backed off on an initial pledge to do away with NAFTA altogether.
In a short letter to Congress this week, the Trump administration gave notice of its plans to re-negotiate the deal, but provided few clues as to what that process would entail.
Texas relies heavily on trade with Mexico in particular, so folks here are paying attention to what happens with NAFTA – especially in the Rio Grande Valley.
Carlos Sanchez, executive editor of The Monitor newspaper in McAllen, says people in the Rio Grande Valley are breathing a collective sigh of relief.
“There’s general consensus that NAFTA, in its 23-year history, has transformed the Rio Grande Valley from a once sleepy agricultural community to a very dynamic community involved in trade,” Sanchez says.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– What NAFTA has meant for the Rio Grande Valley economy
– Which Texas port is now the single largest produce-entry port in the country
– How NAFTA could be modernized
