Aspects of security. Security at the ports of entry is just as important as security between the ports of entry. And, you know, since then weve seen efforts and i think trade community has responded. Congress has responded. Weve seen bills to add more officers. We need other resources at the border. I think at first the only resource were being drawn from southern ports of entry and our first point was what about the airports . What about the seaport . What about the northern ports . You cant pick just one area and say well thats the only area that will get hurt. So beyond that weve seen may 7th, tomato duties went into effect. Now duties on mexican tomatoes. When tariff threat came up, that would have equalled 25 tariffs, 3 billion in tariffs just on what we eat and that constitutes a food tax. In the meantime we had these issues. Thats a glimpse into what we see at the border but we cant stop and think that we cant move forward because theres a lot of things we can move forward on. I look forward to talk about more of those later. There are cool deals going on at the border. Nonentry inspections. How do we invest in coal facilities to make ourselves better. So i would say that weve had adversity but if we take the right approach the future is still bright. Thank you. Thanks very much. So, youve been working at this for a while, representing mexican businesses up here in washington. Youre now meermt permanently. Congratulations on that. What does it took like from that perspective . Thank you very much. You know, 25 years ago none of us would have imagined that we would have been so successful in making north america more competitive. We definitely failed in communicating the developments to our communities and were paying the price today. We as mexican privatesector thats why were now here on a permanent basis because we have a responsibility to contribute, to inform stakeholders here about the benefits for the u. S. Economy, about having an efficient border with mexico, efficient relation with mexico. You know, the world has changed too much in the past two years. When tpp negotiations started the mexican privatesectors first reaction was defensive. Oh, well theres vietnam, malaysia. Competitors from different sectors. Maybe we shouldnt be there. But very rapidly we realized we are part of the value chain of north america. We share production between countries. Theres no way the u. S. Can engage in that. We joined the tpp. When u. S. Started negotiations, we loved it for a quick succession for mexico. We were on that track and suddenly two years ago things changed. U. S. Withdrew from tpp. Threats from withdrawing from nafta started. Then we engaged in a very typical cal negotiation with usmca. Do no harm was one of the main slogans for that process. I think we succeeded in that negotiation. The negotiation is not perfect but we fully endorsed that process and were all in supporting it. Yesterday the ambassador mentioned the agreement and we are there. Were there because one of the Main Elements that this agreement provides to us is a certainty to do business, a certainty to make north america the most competitive region in the world, at the end of the day to provide better Job Opportunities to our community. So i would just like to finish my first comment saying that theres a big cloud out there and that is, that is the strength. Because it attacks the heart. I believe we should move forward as soon as possible in putting forward usmca. But its very clear for us that our agenda will have a trump point, and youre the expert here on u. S. Politic, im not. But at some point these issues of the terrorist threats has to be addressed because if not we cant reap the full benefits. Thank you very much. So, linda, you, of course, are working for National Association of manufacturers, have a very broad area of attention. But as you look to the connection southward and think about that as part of this whole in north america, you know, what have your perceptions been and maybe diminishing up on his theme, its a big theme not only for kroes itcompanies but for m companies that is dependent on this supply chain and quite subject to having to pay the ultimate cost, really, if those tariffs go up, but its actually taxing their business. Maybe you can talk about that a little bit. Thats exactly right. For those that dont know, the ama is the largest Manufacturing Association in the United States. 90 of our manufacturers are small and medium size businesses so care deeply. We were founded nearly 125 years ago because manufacturers knew the plows and food and everything they were producing back then they need more markets than justin the United States because they were so productive. Fast forward right to 2019 and that is more true today. Theres no closer relationship than what we have with our north american partners, canada but, of course, mexico. We estimate theres a million jobs in the United States in manufacturing that depend just on exports to mexico and thats not counting the partnerships when we send you our bottles and you put great things in them like beer or tequila and we bring them back here. Thats jobs and manufacturing and very good times for all of us. So seeing some of the, let me start with some of the more difficult areas we face, this uncertainty about the border, so the redeployment of cbp officers out of the southwest border to deal with immigration and let me be clear. Im the trade person but immigration is a big focus for manufacturer and weaver called for a solution to what are deep immigration issues and crises at the border. We think congress has a lot to do and we appreciate what the u. S. And mexico came up with. But those slow downs, you know, my phone was ringing off the hook. A lot of it small manufacturers trying to get their products into the United States. The threat of tariffs, obviously, was of deep concern. Again, you know, theres a need to deal with immigration. The u. S. Has its own responsibility. We have a plan, a way forward to talk about that and are very focused on those activities. But those, that element of uncertainty, manufacturers will be holding back, holding back capital investment. Holding back new hires. And that is one of the reasons we are absolutely prioritizing passage of the usmca this year. Its our top legislative priority bar none. We are up on the hill every day. We are out in the states every day to make the case for an agreement that is better in so many areas, whether its modernizing digital rules and innovation and intellectual property to better rules at the border. To stronger labor environment provisions, all now subject to dispute settlement. I think theres no question that this agreement has moved us forward in so many of these key areas where manufacturers are looking for. Let me just end on a slight positive. Weve had all these other uncertainties and issues, but we still have a process in place right now to move usmca forward. We had a very good report from the u. S. International trade commission on this agreement even though there werent a lot of changes on tariffs or new market opening in that respect. We had the removal of the steel and aluminum tariffs between canada and mexico and then the retaliation on our exports. That was a very important positive to a lot of industries and folks up on capitol hill are looking at this. And despite all these other activities, we have seen Speaker Pelosi engage very positively and productively with the administration, particularly usgr set up a working group to try to work through some of the issues that theres concern about. Were bullish on this. We believe this can and will absolutely get done this year. We would like it as soon as possible. We also want this process to work between the House Democrats and the administration to produce a deal that will garner wide and broad bipartisan support. Thats good. Glad to hear a positive twist there at the end. So, jerry, youre right there on the frontier lending, working with clients who have been hit by the uncertainty by the slow downs. What does it took like from your position as one of the major financiers in the texas border region. Thank you, ambassador. I want to also thank the Wilson Center for inviting us here. Ive been a banker doing this for four decades in laredo, the texas. Ive been living the good things and bad things that come out of washington. Dont know. No to shutdowns. No tariffs. Yes to usmca. Having sat in the same seat that the current chairman sat, i sat in her role in 19921993 when we were trying to get nafta passed. We were telling the same story. Back then we were talking about shutting down the consulates along the border. Back there we were talk about the elimination of tariffs. If you look at the trade policies of our country and especially trade agreements the the focus has been jobs and protecting jobs and protecting major sectors which is steel, textile and agriculture. My end the picture of the border back in 1992 had double digit unemployment rates. Brownville was 15 . Laredo was 12 . Other cities in texas also had similar unemployment rates. That was back in 1992. My company was less than a billion dollars as a bank, our regional bank. Were now 12 billion plus. The picture of saying nafta has been good or usmca will continue to be good we live it every day. Were a vivid picture of benefits of trade agreement with our neighbors to the south have been and at our end whats important is that we stay focused and tell the story of what the border is, what were about, rather than having other people like was referred to this morning talk about the borders as if it was a different planet or not part of the United States or some people didnt believe it was part of mexico. Were part of both countries because my day every day starts with a 7 00 a. M. , watching a 7 00 a. M. Press conference over the policies of mexico and my tweets of the night before of our president. Thats why every day life on the border. I live with a fluctuating peso, and the valuations. Thats an ongoing wlief us that do business on the border. Its important for us we stay focused on the importance of usmca and tell the story. Thats what ive been doing for all these years and ill continue to do it as long as im allowed to. I want you to think for a minute the best vignette to remind people why this is so important. We heard a number of them when the border was shut down. We heard a number when 5 and rising tariffs were put out there. But they are important, i think, to get out there for everybody to recall. Ill talk for a minute while you think of this, which is that when nafta was being considered, it was estimated, the Clinton Administration estimated there were 700,000 u. S. Jobs supported by trade with mexico. So the study that we initially did and was done again recently by the sponsors, by trade something worldwide, trade Partnership Worldwide again said you know almost 5 million now. So event times more u. S. Jobs supported by this trade with mexico. 12 million across all of north america. So thats i use that fact quite often to bring home to people that there has been a lot of positive benefits. Not perfect agreement but a lot of positives. Okay. For each of you. Whats your favorite vignette to remind regular people why this is so important . I gave my favorite vignette. I gave my repeat it. So, look. Let me start with the broader statistic. So we can all remember it, so we can use it again. I like that. So, you know, the overall statistic is 40 of what we import from mexico is made in america. Its about 40 u. S. Content. And, frankly the best vignette i got we make bottles and made midwest manufacturing states and those bottles go to mexico and they get filled up with beer, tequila, lots of other things for those that dont like alcoholic beverages and they get sent back here as well as being sent throughout mexico as well and this is absolutely a winwin for workers, for consumers in both our countries. If we put a tariff on those bottles would have a tariff on them when they came back in. Right. So those producers would have that indirect tax as well as soor consumers. I dont know if this is my favorite vignette or not but ill take two quick points. One, we have to remember the world were in today. Its a world where we are partners and neighbors competing against other regions, and we have shared production and that shared production has made us competitive towards those regions. This is the way other regions work too. Asia is organized that way. Europe is organized that way. So we have to see each other as partners rather than competitors. Because the competition is way far from north america. Thats one point. The other point is something that, you know, we have taken a lot of things for granted in the past 25 years. One thing that we have taken for granted is that mexico has chosen the path of trade centralization and open markets. And, you know, mexico has done that, but probably the most powerful tool to look in that has been nafta. So in the absence of the nafta, or the usmca, whichever of those instruments, i dont think we should take anything for granted. I think those are powerful instruments. I think its very powerful to have an International Trade agreement with your most important partner that puts all those splints for a market economy. And thats a value in itself. So lets not take so much things for granted. Thank you. Well i would like everybody to close their eyes and go way back in the way back machine and remember what it was like 25 or 30 years ago when you would get so very excited when spring came and it was strawberry season and it was awesome and then went away. You had to wait for strawberry season. You dont have to wait. You go to the produce Department Everything is there at a good price. Were eating better for it. Healthier for it. So when i think about what has nafta brought, what has trade brought, were so blessed as consums to not even think about not having strawberries almost any day you want them. To think oh, gosh, when the sweet corn season coming, when is this season coming. Asparagus is only in the spring. No asparagus is year round. I think about that and i think about whats being accomplished through the usmca as a positive through food, the three countries are saying lets Work Together on food safety even more. Lets share resources, share data back and forth so we can understand and stop any food borne illness outbreak no matter where it comes from. So increased cooperation between the governments leads to healthier eating and increased trade. Thank you. I remember those rectangular cardboard frozen strawberries. Most of the year you had to break open, filled with sugar and all else. I dont remember that. Do you remember that . I remember that. They were nice and sweet. I liked to pick them up and drink them out of there when i was a kid. But happy we have fresh berries now. I wake up every morning and i thank god that i live in texas, that i live in laredo, texas and i live 1,200 miles away from washington, d. C. [ laughter ] at my end, you know, living on the border and living in those experiences have really made me want to have and many of us in this room as well. Its an ongoing struggle to tell the story of what really, the National North american significance of ports like cities like nogales and laredo. Thats a message that continues to get lost in this debate and discussion. Its not more community. Really these are communities that service all of north america. To me a friends of mine referred a visit first time he went to laredo, texas he said i feel im sitting at the 50yard line of trade. They are right there in the middle of north american tratd which makes us remain competitive in the world and the message of knowing and understanding clearly that mexico is a true partner, a true business partner, not someone that just bows down to everything we say but as a partnership and canada as well, thats what keeps us competitive as the title of this conference so says. So the border communities play a significant role in that debate. Thats why we have to come to washington to tell the story. The smes tell the stories. More communities were made up of smes. Im one of the biggest corporations in my city but i live off the smes. Whats hurt them hurts me. What helps them helps me. Thats the story we try to tell when we come to washington. Right. If we get this usmca passed theres a lot of benefits in there for small businesses. Thats why the process negotiation, when you talk about usmca going from a 22 chapter to a 32 chapter its not a perfect agreement. Every agreement in history is better than a prior agreement. Keep in mind 25 years is nothing. 25 years ago apple was a fruit. Google was something we goggled around in class, right . Amazon was a river in brazil. Todays environment is totally different. Most changes going on at the border washington needs to adapt to those changes. When we talk about the border and the crisis on the border those of us that live down there said the crisis in washington where the acts of congress are not acting they are really impacting creating chaos of doing business that benefits north american continent. I think both sides of the border think about that to each of their capitals as i remember from my time as ambassador in mexico when i would visit the border. So, i would like to see if any of you have some ideas that you would like to share about the outstanding issues in usmca and what you think might be creative ways to think about labor, enforcement, the environment that clearly as ambassador barcena mentioned mexicans have introduced major labor reforms that are going to change that situation. There are no doubt a lot of challenges to put in place, you have to create a whole court system and a whole other institutions but the reform is massive. And its not unreasonable there would be questions about implementing all of that. But just any comments about what kind of thinking might be able to help democrats and republicans and the Administration Come together on these still outstanding issues . Any thoughts . Yeah. I will start mentioning that theres a lot of comfort for democrats. The labor chapter is by far the most ambitious labor chapter that the u. S. Has ever negotiated. I mean, you have several elements there. First of all, you have the very solid and great change that the labor reform is and thats locked into the grid. So if future administration, mexico would like to change or back track from the labor reform and the usmca is enforced that would not be possible because it would be breaching the commitments with the u. S. And canada. And in addition to t