Donald Trump: Middle class needs better deal on trade

© Tony Dejak, AP Donald Trump campaigns in Cleveland on March 12, 2016.

The American worker is being crushed. Workplace participation for women has declined by more than 3 percentage points since 2000. The percentage of men in their prime working years without a job has nearly tripled since the late 1960s. Median annual household incomes are down more than $4,000 from the beginning of the century.

One of the factors driving this economic devastation is America’s disastrous trade policies. Under decades of failed leadership, the U.S. has gone from being the globe’s manufacturing powerhouse to a rapid deindustrialization that has evaporated entire communities.

The situation is about to get worse if the Trans-Pacific Partnership is not stopped. One of the first casualties will be America’s auto industry, and among the worst victims of this pact will be the people of Ohio. The TPP will send America’s remaining auto jobs to Japan. Yet, Gov. John Kasich, Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Marco Rubio have all promoted the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

The TPP — a 12-nation pact — includes Vietnam, which has vastly lower wages than America. Since there is a small market for U.S. goods in Vietnam, this will be an almost entirely one-sided arrangement as thousands of U.S. workers are laid off and production shipped to Vietnam instead.

An Economic Policy Institute (EPI) analysis found that Ohio has lost more than 100,000 jobs to TPP countries. If the deal is enacted as Kasich has urged, those numbers will skyrocket.

TPP is the biggest betrayal in a long line of betrayals where politicians have sold out U.S. workers.

Since the North American Free Trade Agreement was signed in 1993, we’ve lost approximately 900,000 jobs to Mexico alone, pro-labor EPI found. Yet Gov. Kasich voted for NAFTA, just like he now supports TPP.

China has been one of the worst offenders. While promoting China’s addition to the World Trade Organization in 2001, the U.S. agreed to permanently confer on China “most favored nation” trading status. EPI estimates that the United States has lost 3 million jobs to China since that decision was made.

Overall, since 1997 — driven by NAFTA and China — the U.S. has lost nearly one-third of its manufacturing jobs, EPI analysis shows. We’ve lost over 80,000 factories during that time.

I am the only candidate who will bring our manufacturing jobs back. I have been warning for decades what would happen if we didn’t confront foreign trade cheating, and sadly, my fears have come to pass as the United States has seen its trade deficit in goods soar to $759.3 billion last year.

If we bring back these jobs, and close this trade deficit, we will create millions of jobs, boost government revenue, shrink our deficit, rebuild our infrastructure and communities, and send wages soaring upwards.

Under a Trump administration, we will finally stand up for American workers and make America great again.

Donald J. Trump is a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. FLORIDA TODAY welcomes columns from the presidential candidates on top issues for Brevard voters.