By: George Holding When folks back home in North Carolina hear the words "digital economy," they usually picture a computer programmer in Silicon Valley or a whiz kid creating an iPhone app in their parent's basement. And they're not wrong! Those scientists and inventors play a critical role in the digital economy. Yet in recent years, digital trade and commerce has exploded into one of the most important and impactful sectors of America's economy. Today, nearly six out of 10 American jobs created by exports of digital services are jobs outside the tech industry. Sectors like agriculture, health care, and manufacturing make up a large part of the 5 million total jobs and $1.35 trillion in annual productivity of the digital economy, according to the Internet Association. As a result, it is now more important than ever to ensure the rules of the road on the digital highway are modernized and clear. That's why President Trump and U.S. Trade Ambassador Robert Lighthizer spent countless hours negotiating the creation of a new "digital chapter" in the updated proposed trade agreement with Mexico and Canada -- the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Free Trade Agreement (USMCA). The USMCA includes a host of new benefits for American workers, families, and the economy. And the changes impacting the digital economy are among the most important. It will, for the first time, prohibit the imposition of customs duties, fees, or other charges on digital products traded electronically. It will also safeguard cross-border data flows. USMCA is the first trade agreement to ensure the free flow of data for all sectors. Businesses of all sizes, across all sectors, will benefit from the free and safe flow of information. The trade pact prohibits data localization requirements that force businesses to use or locate computing facilities in a specific country or territory as a condition for conducting business. Additionally, USMCA streamlines customs processes to support e-commerce. As the digital economy continues to evolve and grow, modernizing the mechanics of how goods flow between countries in North America is critical. The new agreement will help speed the growth of e-commerce. Finally, as this sector continues to evolve and expand, enhanced data protection becomes even more important. The proposed agreement encourages, for the first time, data privacy and cybersecurity collaboration. USMCA requires all three countries to adopt measures to comply with each other's data privacy laws. USMCA also promotes a collaborative, risk-based approach and adoption of industry best practices to keep networks and services secure. These new digital provisions and protections are both timely and important. A lot has changed in the 25 years since NAFTA was signed into law. Back then, folks didn't have cell phones, internet access required a dial-up connection, and movies had to be rented in VHS format. Today, we live in an interconnected world driven by rapidly evolving digital technologies and capabilities. We do our work on lightning-fast computers, interact through mobile phones, and buy goods with a single click. These changes have benefited workers and consumers across every sector. It has created countless jobs and grown wages, all while improving Americans' day-to-day lives. It has made it easier for farmers to find customers, leading to increased revenue and production. It has overhauled logistics entirely, empowering manufacturers across the country to be able to expand and grow, and it is even forcing health care providers to adapt to new standards. Imagine the potential if we can make our digital economy even more competitive on a global scale -- making our products more affordable while simultaneously expanding markets for our local job creators. That is what USMCA sets out to achieve. And that's why the agreement's new digital provisions are so important. Yet, unfortunately, USMCA is currently being held hostage by the partisan political circus in Washington. Delaying approval of the trade pact hits the pocketbooks of the workers and families in North Carolina and across the nation. Folks across all sectors -- from farmers and factory floor workers to programmers and engineers -- are losing out. Far too much hangs in the balance. USMCA will lead to more jobs, larger paychecks, and cheaper prices for American consumers. It provides a much-needed foundation for the expansion of free and fair digital trade and investment in innovative products and services. And it creates a framework for a cutting edge, 21st-century economy. It's time for Washington to buck up and get this agreement over the finish line. We have before us a once in a generation opportunity to define a new global standard in digital trade, one that positions the United States as the world leader in the digital economy. We can't afford to let it slip away.

By Members of the House Committee on Ways and Means Our bold Blueprint for tax reform takes historic action to unleash job creation and economic growth in America. One of the most pro-growth features is that we're finally going to end the self-imposed "Made in America" tax on U.S. exports -- a backwards feature of our nation's current tax code that gives foreign-made products an advantage over American-made goods, services, and intellectual property. Here's a simple example of how today's "Made in America" tax helps our foreign competitors at the expense of American businesses and workers: Consider two global companies: an American company that manufactures tractors in Ohio, and its European rival that manufactures tractors in Germany. With the "Made in America" tax imposed by the current U.S. tax code, the Ohio-based company is subject to U.S. tax on every tractor they make here and sell in Europe. Meanwhile, the European rival pays no U.S. tax on the tractors they make in Germany and sell in America. Imports are not taxed under the current U.S. system but American exports are. Basically, the "Made in America" tax on U.S. exports works exactly like it sounds -- if you make products in America, you're taxed when you sell them abroad. But if you make products abroad, you're not taxed when selling them here. In this way, our nation's current tax code provides a direct incentive for businesses to move operations and jobs overseas. After all, if it's not "Made in America," it's not subject to the "Made in America" tax. Ending the self-imposed "Made in America" tax on U.S. exports is a bold solution that will help our businesses and workers compete and win anywhere in the world -- but especially here at home. Here are three reasons why ending the "Made in America" tax is a win for our businesses, workers, and communities: Win #1: Leveling the playing field for America's job creators and workers With some of the brightest, most innovative small businesses and workers in the world, the products we make and sell here in America often set the global benchmark for quality. That's why our nation is so successful when competition takes place on a level playing field. But, today -- with the "Made in America" tax -- the deck is being stacked against our job creators and workers. The worst part of it all is that we're doing this to ourselves. By eliminating the "Made in America" tax, we can dramatically level the playing field for our workers and communities. No longer will American businesses be forced to compete with one hand tied behind their backs. Instead, competition will occur on price, quality, and service. And when that happens, "Made in America" products -- and all of the businesses and workers who make them -- are about as unbeatable as they come. Win #2: Making America a magnet for investment and job creation It's a basic rule of thumb -- if you want to get less of something, put a tax on it. And that's exactly what we've seen as a result of the "Made in America" tax. It's completely backwards, and it continues to drive research and development, investment, and good-paying jobs out of our communities. To get our economy moving again, America needs a modern tax system that empowers our job creators and workers to make more -- not less -- here in America. And we need a tax system that encourages our businesses to sell their products to more customers throughout the world. Success in global markets creates jobs and growth here at home. Ways and Means Republicans are committed to ending the "Made in America" tax as part of comprehensive, pro-growth tax reform. When combined with the other historic reforms of our Blueprint, this solution is a game-changer that not only removes incentives for companies to relocate abroad, but also makes the United States a magnet for 21st century investment and job creation. Win #3: A modern international tax system for the 21st century America's international tax system is among the most complex, costly, and uncompetitive of any major country in the world. Not only does this make it harder for our businesses to compete and succeed, it makes America a less attractive place to do business in the first place. Eliminating the U.S. tax on "Made in America" products will also eliminate antiquated and burdensome U.S. international tax rules that put our companies at a disadvantage in the global marketplace. In the end, that means a vastly simpler and more modern U.S. international tax system for the 21st century -- one that supports economic growth here at home by giving our businesses, products, and workers a greater chance to succeed all over the world. Our major international competitors stopped taxing their own exports a long time ago. Now, it's America's turn to do the same. Ending the self-imposed "Made in America" tax on U.S. exports is a win for our economy and for Americans of all walks of life.