The executive chairman of BNSF railroad recently penned an editorialin the San Antonio Express-News pleading with lawmakers, including Texas Sen. John Cornyn, not to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).
Leaving NAFTA, wrote Matt Rose, would end the one million jobs in Texas that rely on the trade deal. Rose noted that, in 2015, the Lone Star State exported over $125 million worth of goods to Mexico and Canada.
Across the U.S., he reported, NAFTA was responsible for almost 12 million jobs in the single year of 2014. And these jobs pay 16 percent more on average than non-export-related jobs.
“Trade with Mexico and Canada has helped Texas build the second largest economy in the country,” wrote Rose, adding, “walking away from NAFTA would create widespread uncertainty.”