COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Wednesday night's discussion was part of "The Other Side of the Border: Ties That Bind and Issues That Divide" a speaker series organized by Assistant Professor Dr. Aileen Teague In the International Affairs Department at the Bush School at Texas A&M.
“This is critical for our students. I mean, this is part of what we offer here of getting a master's of international affairs at the Bush School. Not only being able to apply the academic knowledge but also to engage with practitioners and people who've actually been out in the field," Dr. Teague said. "Having Congressman Brady here was an exceptional opportunity for our students, and he's also very spun up on a lot of key international relations debates. So putting those things together was really a sweet spot for us today.”
Congressman Brady spoke with students and others in attendance before doing a Q&A with Dr. Teague about the importance of free trade in North America and trade around the globe.
“The freedom to trade is one of our greatest economic freedoms," Congressman Brady said. "It gives us the power to build new products and sell it throughout the world with as little government interference as possible but also gives us the freedom to buy new products, technologies, new watches, new phones, you know the things we need at affordable prices.”
Trade and commerce are something U.S. Representative Brady is very passionate about, as he has helped pass 13 of America's 15 free trade agreements, including USMCA. USMCA is an agreement for free trade between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
This is something he believes has greatly affected Texas not only by buying products without restrictions but by selling them too.
"You know, it's not enough to buy American, you have to sell American all throughout the world because 95% of the customers are outside the U.S.," Congressman Brady said. "America's made for trade, Texas even more so, no one ships or sells more around the world than our lone star state.”
Dr. Teague says their next speaker series will be with El Paso Border Sector Chief Gloria Chavez, about border security on March 9th.
