Does the Trump Administration Feel Constrained by U.S. Trade Agreements?
In two separate instances yesterday, I came across questions about whether the Trump administration feels constrained by the USMCA and other trade agreements.
Simon Lester
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.
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.
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.
Questions for Japan About Its Trade/Investment Deals with the Trump Administration
One of the many useful things that happens at the WTO is the Trade Policy Reviews carried out for each WTO Member, and Japan's latest review includes some questions/answers on the framework trade agreement with the Trump administration.
Where To Focus With the Issue of Trade Imbalances: Exchange Rates vs. Domestic Economic Policies
The Economist has a piece by a group of economists on trade imbalances, explaining that there is too much focus on the undervalued yuan. In my view, lots of people are getting things on wrong on trade imbalances, and it's nice to see these folks getting things right.