Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

In response to Deputy Martin, a big part of our message now in the United States is a little different from the one we would have had in the past. There is a view in the United States, shared by some in the Administration there, that is hostile to free trade, that takes a different view of trade than did previous administrations. One of the points we make very strongly is that trade goes both ways. While the United States has a very large trade deficit with us on merchandise, we have a very significant trade deficit with it on services. They pretty much balance each other out. Americans are often surprised to hear that because they think it all goes one way. We also make the point that jobs and investment go both ways. Approximately 100,000 Americans in 50 states are employed by Irish owned firms.

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