‘We build things together’
Texas Insider Report: WASHINGTON, D.C. – (San Antonio, TX) – U.S. Representative Will Hurd, who represents over 800 miles of the Texas-Mexico border, returned Tuesday evening from meetings in Mexico City to promote North American competitiveness and energy security.
Highlights of the 36-hour trip include:
- Meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Roberta Jacobson to discuss U.S. priorities in Mexico and border security
- Participating in a new office grand opening for the American Chamber of Commerce of Mexico
- Attending the Greater Houston Partnership Energy Business Forum highlighting the unique energy relationship between Texas and Mexico
“U.S. trade with Mexico and Canada has more than tripled since NAFTA took effect in 1994, and the largest beneficiariesof this relationship are Texas businesses,” said Hurd after his trip.
A report by the U.S. Department of Commerce found that Texas exported more than any other State in the Union in 2014 with just under $290 billion to countries worldwide, 61% of which went to U.S. free trade agreement partners. The state of Texas exported over $92 billion in goods and services to Mexico in 2015, making Mexico the state’s top export market, surpassing the size of the following four export markets combined. Additionally, according to the International Trade Administration, over one million U.S. jobs are supported by goods exported from Texas, helping contribute to the 11.5 million U.S. jobs supported by exports nationwide in 2015. Over 90 percent of Texas goods exporters are small and medium sized companies.
“As the Representative of several border communities, and the largest stretch of US-Mexico Border in Congress, I recognize the unique relationship the United States, and Texas, shares with Mexico. I have made it a priority since beingelected to foster understanding with my colleagues in Washington and to increase economic opportunity on both sides of the border. I have long said that we should view the border as a middle, not an edge, and I am committed to continuing this work in the years to come,” said Hurd.
Hurd also emphasized the importance of the energy partnership between the U.S. and Mexico: “Even before Congress lifted the oil export ban, Texas Rep. Henry Cuellar and I were working with the Administration to approve oil swaps between Texas and Mexico, helping to strengthen this relationship and create jobs on both sides of the border.”
Energy production in Hurd’s district is set to increase after the recent announcement that Wolfcamp shale in the Permian Basin has found an estimated 20 billion barrels of accessible oil, 16 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 1.6 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. “We have a great economic relationship with our partners to the south, and have worked hard to strengthen energy policy together. As continued energy exploration yields new discoveries, our access to Mexican markets is critical to the Texas economy and a key step in achieving North American Energy Security.”
