Congressman William Timmons (SC-04) released the following statement after House passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA):

“The passage of USMCA is a huge win for the country and for the Upstate. It is difficult to appreciate the magnitude of today’s vote given all the noise surrounding impeachment, but I believe that when we look back on President Trump’s time in office 10 or 15 years from now, we may consider negotiating and passing USMCA his signature achievement. Over 170,000 jobs in South Carolina are supported by trade with Canada and Mexico, and USMCA will continue to support those jobs and encourage export growth in South Carolina.

“South Carolina exports nearly $7 billion worth of products to Canada and Mexico annually. USMCA is crucial to the livelihood and success of individuals and businesses across our state.

“President Trump made a promise to the American people to put America first. We saw him keep that promise during negotiations, and today we saw it again with passage of the agreement. I was proud to support the deal.”

Background for USMCA & South Carolina:

• According to the U.S. International Trade Commission, USMCA will add 176,000 new jobs to the workforce and will provide over $68 billion in new economic growth
• Canada and Mexico purchase nearly one-fifth of South Carolina’s total global manufacturing exports
• South Carolina’s small- and medium-sized businesses comprise 63% of the state’s exporters of metals to Canada and Mexico
• More than 14,000 of South Carolina’s manufacturing jobs depend on manufacturing exports to Canada and Mexico
• South Carolina agricultural exports to Canada total $126 million and $21 million to Mexico