Once Again, USMCA is no Match for U.S. Protectionism

Failure to Reach a Deal Despite intensive negotiations from August 19-21, 2026, Canada and the United States failed to reach an agreement that would have suspended the 50% tariffs the U.S. threatened a month ago on $20 billion worth of Canadian exports to the U.S. (The list

Follow-Up on the Political Prospects for Removing Trump's Tariffs

Former Biden administration officials Heather Hurlburt and Peter Harrell both offered LinkedIn responses to my post last week about the political prospects for removal of Trump's tariffs by a future president.

Implications of Increasing Mexican Exports of AI Data Servers to the United States

During the past several years, the composition of Mexican exports to the United States has significantly changed. Auto and auto parts exports have decreased because of high Trump administration tariffs designed to shift production for the U.S. market from Mexico (and Canada) to the United States.

Tracking Goods Exports under the Trump Administration's Trade Policies: The Latest Data

Back in May, I posted about how U.S. goods exports were doing under Trump's trade policies. In this post, I'm going to provide an update based on 3 additional months of data, with export data for January - June now covered for the years 2023 - 2026.

Evaluating the New White House “Great Transshipment Scam” Proposals

The critical issue in any U.S. attempts to enforce against transshipment are the definitions and scope.

U.S. Appeals Court Says No Constitutional Right To Export Guns

Many years ago, I did an April Fools' post about a trade agreement on gun rights. At long last, I have an actual substantive trade and gun rights issue to post about.

How Difficult Will It Be Politically To Remove Trump's Tariffs?

Heather Hurlburt, who was the Chief of Staff for U.S. Trade Rep. Katherine Tai from 2022-2024, recently poured some cold water on the idea that Trump's tariffs might be removed quickly after he is out of office.

Pressuring China on Subsidies vs. Pressuring China on Consumption

If I understand their views correctly, some of the more hawkish voices on China's economic practices see a link between the Chinese government's high level of industrial subsidies, on the one hand, and the low level of consumption by Chinese citizens, on the other.

Would Public Ownership Push Us Towards AI Sovereignty? And Will We Ever Get Sensible AI Regulation?

Todd Tucker, my long-time sparring partner on international economic policy issues, has a new piece with his colleague Elizabeth Wilkins called "How Public Equity Can Promote a Revived American Democracy."

Guest Post: Make the Forced Labor 301 Tariffs a Win for Workers

“I had to store my friend’s dead body in the freezer.” A fisher shared this with me and my colleagues at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) through an interpreter.