HARLINGEN — State Comptroller Glenn Hegar is standing firm behind the North American Free Trade Agreement.
But he is open to renegotiating the 1994 trade pact between the United States, Mexico and Canada, Hegar told area leaders today at the luncheon hosted by the city of Harlingen.
President Donald Trump has decided to reopen the agreement. If the U.S. ends up withdrawing from the agreement, as Trump has threatened, it could result in Mexico imposing a retaliatory tariff on the U.S. and pivoting to Canadian suppliers.
Hegar praised the city’s partnership with Cardone Industries, whose decision to expand its operations in Harlingen will boost its number of new jobs from 550 to as many as 750 with a new $50 million distribution center.
Manufacturing continues to help drive the state’s $1.7 trillion economy, the 10th largest in the world, out-pacing Russia, Hegar said.
Last month, he said, the state created 71,000 new jobs, its best month in more than two years.
