“American trade impacts every North Carolina business and family. That’s why we just passed USMCA today, a trade deal that will protect and expand American jobs and find new international customers for our made in North Carolina products. This historic trade deal should have been passed months ago, and the loss of that partisan drag is immeasurable; however, I am glad we have closed out the decade by passing a trade deal that will prepare our workers, farmers, and employers for a prosperous future.”

“It’s an ignominious start to the Senate working group when their first meeting is with the chief apologist for an exploitative system and not with the student-athletes that are being exploited. The inequity and injustices in the current NCAA model need to end quickly. That won’t happen by ceding power to the person who has blocked progress for decades. My friend Representative Cedric Richmond and I have the only viable legislation introduced in Congress, the Student-Athlete Equity Act, to end the NCAA’s moratorium on player’s rights to their name, image, and self-worth.”

"With billions in new economic growth and valuable North Carolina jobs that depend on trade with Canada and Mexico, the USMCA means our North Carolina farmers can grow more, our manufacturers can build more and our small businesses can thrive more. For more than a year, the USMCA trade deal was held hostage by House Democrats as they put political games over American workers for the purpose of denying President Trump this huge accomplishment. I can only hope the love for the American people will overshadow their disdain for President Trump."

Stripping young adults of the dignity of work because of a student loan burden is counter to our American ideals and the ladder of upward mobility. Instead of forcing our future leaders into a debt trap, we should be giving them every opportunity to succeed. The government should not be in the position to tell someone they don’t have the right to contribute to our communities and improve their life.