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Three hours after standing alongside President Trump at a news briefing in Washington, Pence addressed hundreds of Uline employees, invited guests and elected officials on Wednesday at Uline Warehouse, 11559 80th Ave., in Pleasant Prairie.

Pence applied pressure to those standing in the way — namely House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis. — of President Donald Trump’s plan to replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement with a renegotiated trade pact.

Congress is considering whether to ratify the deal known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement. The pact was signed in November 2018.

“I came to Wisconsin to turn up the heat,” Pence said. “Turn up the heat on Ron Kind and the Democrats to say Wisconsin wants the USMCA.

“There’s a lot to gain in the USMCA. It’s going to make a real difference. The truth is, it’s going to make a difference for Wisconsin as well.

“Last year, the state of Wisconsin alone exported more than $22 billion in goods to Mexico and Canada. Do the math, everybody. The USMCA is a win for Wisconsin and a win for America.”

The USMCA is billed as a mutually beneficial win for North American workers, farmers, ranchers and businesses. It was designed to level the playing field for American workers, including improved rules of origin for automobiles, trucks, other products and disciplines on currency manipulation.

USMCA was negotiated to replace NAFTA, which was enacted in January 1994 under President Bill Clinton.

Pence claims that NAFTA lifted tariffs and restrictive quotas on nearly all goods by 2008 and resulted in the loss of around 700,000 jobs. The U.S. trade balance with Canada and Mexico accumulated a nearly $2 trillion deficit from 1994 to 2017.

“I remember the day when I had a different job and I was governor of the Hoosier state,” Pence said. “The leaders in Washington, D.C., said the days of a robust economy in America were behind us.

“We had a president in 2016 who lost 200,000 manufacturing jobs. He actually said those jobs were never going to come back. He said, “’What magic wand do you have?’ We didn’t need a magic wand. We just needed President Trump.”

The event was hosted by Uline founders Liz and Dick Uihlein, well-known supporters of conservative causes and candidates. With more than 6,000 employees, Uline has become one of the county’s top employers and one of the largest distribution companies in North America.

“We’re very proud to have Uline chosen to host this very important event,” Dick Uihlein said. “There are many companies, just like Uline, that have operations in all three countries (United States, Mexico and Canada). It’s crucial we have a free and fair trade agreement set up to handle this.”

The event was organized by America First Policies, a nonprofit group that supports President Trump’s agenda.

The event opened with a panel discussion moderated by America’s First Policies policy director Curtis Ellis. The panel included Wisconsin Farm Bureau Board of Directors Dave Daniels, Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wis., and Zachary Mottl, a chief alignment officer at the Lyons, Ill.-based Atlas Tools & Die Works.

“(NAFTA) wasn’t a good deal,” Grothman said. “Donald Trump came along and promised to do something about it.”

First Congressional District Rep. Bryan Steil, R-Wis., briefly addressed the crowd before welcoming Pence to the stage.

“It is great to join Vice President Pence in Pleasant Prairie,” Steil said. “This is an exciting opportunity to highlight southeast Wisconsin’s manufacturing industry and the importance of passing USMCA.

“Speaker Pelosi must bring USMCA to the House floor for a vote. Improving access to Canada and Mexico’s markets will help manufacturers and farmers sell their goods, increase workers’ wages and grow their industries. USMCA is a win for Wisconsin.”

Hundreds of people waited patiently outside in a long security line before they were allowed entrance into the warehouse.

Bob Haisler, 65, of Kansasville was one of them.

“I’m honored to meet any vice president of the United States,” said Haisler, who wore a bright red “Make America Great Again” hat.

“I hope we can push Pelosi into putting (USMCA) to a vote. She’s been sitting on that now for almost a year, and that’s way too long. She’s putting politics in front of the American people. I don’t care who you are; that should sit wrong with any American.”

Pleasant Prairie Police Chief David Smetana said his agency received plenty of help in assuring safety for everyone in attendance. In addition to federal agencies, Pleasant Prairie Police was assisted by Kenosha Police Department, Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department, Pleasant Prairie Fire & Rescue and Wisconsin State Patrol.

“There was a total collaboration going on with multiple law enforcement agencies,” Smetana said. “It’s a great deal of resources set aside for a visit like this.”