Trade
Few issues are more important to the Tenth District than US trade policy. Free trade must be fair trade: When a country’s industries export goods to the United States, we must insist that they allow our industries to have access to their markets. It is only fair.
Congressman McHenry stood with the workers of the Tenth District when he kept his promise to vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA). Trade agreements such as NAFTA have been disastrous for North Carolina industries such as textiles, furniture and other manufacturing sectors. CAFTA threatens to only make things worse.
When NAFTA was passed ten years ago, the hope was that new markets for American products would be opened in Mexico and that increased trade would lead to a rise in Mexican worker salaries. Instead, the US trade deficit with Mexico grew from $9 billion to $86 billion, Mexican wages dropped, and illegal immigration rose.
Congressman McHenry will work tirelessly to ensure that all future trade agreements are fair trade agreements that protect workers in Western North Carolina, and give local companies a chance to compete in worldwide markets.