The U.S. House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee met for the second time in the 119th Congress to discuss their trade priorities ahead of the implementation of President Trump’s America First Trade Policy.
Congresswoman Terri Sewell, AL-07, sits on this committee and asked how Alabama exporters should feel safe expanding into new markets when their current exports are uncertain.
“I represent a trade-dependent state, the state of Alabama, and right now, Alabamians are hurting. Last year, Alabama exported over $26.8 billion in goods which supports over 90,000 jobs in my state, but many of those jobs are now at risk,” said Sewell.
She noted that Alabama’s two largest exporting markets are Canada and Mexico. In 2024, Alabama exported $375 million in goods to Canada and $325 million to China. During the same year, Alabama imported $465 million worth of goods from Mexico and $367 million from Canada, according to the Observatory of Economic Complexity.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative advises the President and Congress on trade matters and negotiates global trade deals. This body has been tasked with performing a public consultation process ahead of the July 2026 review of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement to “assess the impact of the USMCA on American workers, farmers, ranchers, service providers, and other businesses and make recommendations regarding the United States’ participation in the agreement.”
Sewell pointed out that the Constitution plainly states that Congress has the authority to regulate trade.
“It is clear that President Trump lacks the authority to enter into binding trade agreements without Congress granting trade promotion authority,” said Sewell.
Rep. Sewell inquired as to whether Trump currently has this authority bestowed upon him by Congress, which he does not. Sewell then asked how Congress should proceed in reclaiming its authority in the trade space.
Kathleen Claussen, a legal scholar to whom Sewell directed her questions during her time, said that the bottom line is that Congress has trade authority.
“Congress has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations and so it has the right to choose the instrument through which the executive carries out that work,” said Claussen.
