We wanted to flag a recent Greenville News op-ed written by Rep. William Timmons, which highlights the strong trade deals that President Trump has succeeded in negotiating on behalf of our country. Trade is critical to South Carolina farmers and manufacturers, and both the USMCA and Phase One of the China deal will have a huge impact on our state and workers.

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How Trump’s recently signed trade deals will benefit South Carolina
Greenville News
Op-Ed
Rep. William Timmons
February 16, 2020

When President Trump was sworn into office, he made a commitment to restore American businesses’ competitiveness on the world stage. And for those following his progress toward fulfilling that promise, January was a big month. On Jan. 15, the president signed “Phase One” of a new trade deal with China, and on Jan. 29, he signed the implementing language for an updated North American trade agreement, known as USMCA.

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The signing of USMCA represents similarly good news, particularly for people here in South Carolina. This deal, between Mexico, Canada, and the United States, is expected to create more than 176,000 new American jobs for blue-collar workers and add an additional $68 billion to our nation’s growing economy. In 2018, South Carolina exported more than $33.9 billion worth of manufactured goods worldwide. An increase in exports would be a boon for local jobs and continue to boost our Upstate economy.

As South Carolina’s top trading partners, Canada and Mexico receive part of the approximately $751 million in exported agricultural goods from our state annually. In fact, more than 6,300 jobs across the state are tied to agriculture, and these new deals will be significant for all of South Carolina’s farmers, manufacturers, and small businesses.

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Unfortunately, while these deals will bring about new opportunities for many across our state, 2020 Democratic candidates remain skeptical of them for no other reason than that President Trump’s name is attached to them.

The policies they are pushing would devastate the economic success that South Carolina and the rest of the country are enjoying. Between now and November, we need to work hard to ensure that we elect candidates – pro-growth, pro-market, Republican candidates – who are committed to maintaining and growing America’s competitiveness around the world. It is imperative that we build upon the successes we have enjoyed for the past four years.

Rep. William Timmons of Greenville, a Republican, represents South Carolina’s Fourth District in Congress.

Read the full op-ed here. ICYMI: Greenville News: How Trump’s recently signed trade deals will benefit South Carolina