The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, which took effect Wednesday, will level the playing field between the countries and return jobs to the United States, according to Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue. 

"The trade deals and the United States have almost given away jobs to foreign countries," Perdue said on Fox News' "America's Newsroom." "We had the United States and multinational corporations taking jobs away from the United States and sending them overseas or south of the border."

Perdue noted that in his position, he 's involved in advocating for American farms and ranchers, but the new trade deal is also good for the automotive industry as well. 

"It is doing away with very unfair trade practices that Canada had regarding dairy, poultry, eggs, and wheat grading, said Perdue.

He also spoke about plans for the Department of Homeland Security to send personnel to protect statues around the nation this weekend, adding that he hopes that will happen peacefully, as well as the protests. 

"Vandalism and taking down structures and creating damage is not the First Amendment so I hope that we can have a great Fourth of July celebrating the independence of our nation peacefully," said Perdue. 

He also spoke about the growing coronavirus numbers, saying he thinks America will survive the epidemic and once again thrive. 

But he does think people need to wear masks, as they are protective and will allow people to "enjoy one another socially, and it's really good hygiene. We can do both. We can keep people safe and also open the economy."

• Senate Passes US-Canada-Mexico Trade Deal, a Trump Priority
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