NAFTA has once again become a focal point for the White House. President Donald Trump announced he's willing to re-negotiate the 23-year-old treaty rather than end it.
During his presidential campaign, Trump described NAFTA as a "horrible deal" for the United States.
KENS 5 wanted to Verify if NAFTA has given the Texas economy the short end of the stick, especially when it comes to trade with Mexico.
To get the facts, KENS 5 spoke to Libby Hambleton in U.S. Senator John Cornyn's office and Chris Bryan at the state comptroller's office. We also tracked down information from the state's economic development office and the Texas Tribune.
First, Texas is the nation's leading export state, and Mexico buys more Texas products than any other country. In 2015 alone, Texas exported $95 billion in goods made in Texas to Mexico, which, thanks to NAFTA, assessed very few taxes.
Secondly, those products also mean jobs in the Lone Star State as 382,000 jobs in Texas depend on trade with Mexico.
Mexico also sends more international travelers to Texas than any other country; approximately 7.7 million visitors who spend $4.5 billion annually. NAFTA doesn't affect them, but a border wall would.
Also, other states export goods to Mexico, and the vast majority are sent by trucks that travel through Texas.
That transportation industry provides another source of jobs and infrastructure investment for the state.
However, KENS 5 verified that NAFTA has not always helped all Texas regions.
Congressman Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso and is currently running for a spot in the U.S. Senate, said that his region of West Texas was devastated by NAFTA initially, with thousands of manufacturing jobs moving south of the border almost overnight. But he said that, eventually, El Paso gained many of those jobs back.
But the bottom line is, when you look at the facts, no state has gained more from NAFTA than Texas. And, over the last 23 years, the benefits far outweigh the losses.
If there's a story we can verify for you, just email us at VERIFY@kens5.com.
Verify Resources:
Libby Hambleton, Deputy Press Secretary, U.S. Senator John Cornyn
U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-TX 16th District
Chris Bryan, spokesman, state Comptroller’s Office
Economic Development & Tourism Division of the Governor’s Office
Texas Tribune, a KENS 5 partner
