United States Senator Lamar Alexander Monday released the following statement after President Trump’s announcement of a U.S.-Mexico trade agreement:
“I will carefully review the proposed changes to determine their effect on Tennesseans’ jobs, especially auto jobs which account for one third of all Tennessee manufacturing jobs. NAFTA has been good for Tennessee. Our state has nearly doubled its auto jobs since NAFTA was signed in 1994.
"It is important that a new NAFTA agreement bring an end to steel and aluminum tariffs which are bad for Tennessee jobs.
For example, about one half of every car is steel, and new tariffs have driven steel prices up more than 40 percent since January 1. This will mean fewer cars sold and fewer jobs.”