State Rep. Mike Sanders recognized the number that popped up on his cell phone as he was driving to the House Speaker’s Ball last Saturday night, but he had no idea why he was receiving a phone call from the White House.

Four days later, he was on a plane for a whirlwind and totally unexpected trip to Washington, D.C.

The caller turned out to be someone from the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs inviting Sanders to be a guest of President Donald Trump at the official signing of the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).

“I worked in the White House enough years to know the phone numbers,” said Sanders, who served in several capacities in the George W. Bush Administration. “But that call was a total surprise.”

Sanders was one of only 15 state legislators from across the country invited to the event.

A vocal proponent of the bill, which replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, Sanders had helped with social media promotion as well as writing letters of support to the U.S. House leadership and urging others to do the same.

“The invitation to the White House was in appreciation for my work helping with that,” he said. “It was really nice and an incredible honor that I couldn’t say no to.”

Saying yes left him with only a couple of days to rearrange his schedule and arrange a last-minute flight, but Sanders said the historical experience was worth the effort.

“This should have happened a year ago, but unfortunately the Democrats in the House were grandstanding,” he said. “It was such an honor to be present when this historic agreement was finally signed.”

Sanders arrived at the White House about 9:30 a.m. for the 11 a.m. event and he and other state legislators were seated in the fourth row of an audience of about 300 people.

“Cabinet members sat in the front row, the second row was U.S. trade officials and ambassadors, third row was Congressmen and then we were behind them,” he said, noting that representatives of agriculture and other industrial and manufacturing sectors also attended the signing.

“The President and Vice President Pence both spoke, along with the trade negotiator,” Sanders said about the hour-long event.

Sanders welcomes the ew agreement as much beter trade policy.

“It evens the playing field o that companies are no longer encouraged to leave merica for cheaper labor,” he said. “This puts America rst, and consequently it puts tates like Oklahoma, which produces a large portion of he nation’s agriculture and nergy, in a leading position.”

Sanders said trade beween the three North Amercan countries constitutes bout $1.2 trillion and affects early half a billion North merican consumers.

“The deal gives American armers greater access to Canda’s agricultural markets, ncluding dairy,” he said.

“It also sets rules for agiculture biotechnology and ddresses labeling requireents.”

Sanders said the agreeent is expected to provide “$2.2 billion shot in the rm” to the U.S. agriculture ndustry and create up to a half million new jobs.

The agreement also sets pecific ground rules for protection of intellectual property, he noted.

“This trade deal is going o be the gold standard for uture trade negotiations with other countries,” Sandrs said.

“We all know that China has been notorious for stealng intellectual property for ecades.

On a personal level, the rip gave Sanders an opporunity to catch up with old riends and colleagues in the hite House, as well as members of GOPAC, a political acion committee that prepares tate Republican leaders to un for higher office, he said.

“I’m so grateful for the incredible gracious invitation from the White House, knowing how important this agreement is for people in my district,” he said. “I watched as President Trump put pen to paper – a move that ensures American workers a better stake in the future. What an amazing experience.”