WASHINGTON (Feb. 03, 2024) – The American Chemistry Council (ACC) appreciates the Trump Administration’s pursuit of a trade policy that values American manufacturing and jobs. As one of America’s most critical industries, we are crucial to helping America compete on the global stage and be a manufacturing superpower.
Chemistry powers every corner of the U.S. economy by creating high-paying jobs, infusing new investments into research and development, and providing chemicals vital to everyday life. Trade plays a key role in our competitiveness. As the second largest export manufacturing sector, the U.S. chemical industry posts a trade surplus of more than $30 billion in 2023, with exports supporting nearly 200,000 jobs.
Canada and Mexico are our industry’s largest trading partners. The American chemical industry imports materials, many of which are unavailable in the United States, adding value and supporting other manufacturing supply chains domestically and abroad, through our exports. The U.S. chemical industry is a net exporter, both in the aggregate and individually with Canada and Mexico, contributing positively to the nation’s trade balance.
As we review the impacts of these Executive Orders, we would ask that all parties negotiate a solution to the issues behind these Orders as soon as possible. In particular, the U.S. chemical industry continues to support the USMCA Agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico. The USMCA’s Annex on Chemical Substances, created under President Trump’s first administration, is a model for agreements with other countries, advantaging U.S. based production and promoting science-based regulatory approaches. ACC, like the Chemical Industry Association of Canada (CIAC) and the Asociación Nacional de la Industria Química (ANIQ) in Mexico, calls on all governments to come together to combat the illegal movement of controlled substances like fentanyl.
America can compete by safeguarding access to low-cost, essential imported inputs and securing fair, competitive access to key customer markets around the world. ACC wants to work constructively with the Administration to advance a trade agenda that addresses genuine challenges to our supply chain resiliency. Together, we can help stop circumvention of tariff protections and advantage U.S. based production and exports by expanding science-based regulatory approaches that will continue to grow our competitiveness while also ensuring advantage to trading with trusted partners.
Chemicals are a critical input for too many industries and products to leave behind, and a strong and innovative chemical sector is essential to our national security, economic resilience and continued prosperity. American trade relies on American chemistry.
