Comparing the Economic and National Security Provisions in the New U.S. Trade Deals By my count, we now have the legal texts of five Trump administration trade agreements. Will there be enforcement actions under these agreements?
Why Haven't the Tariffs Had More Impact on the Economy? Dan Drezner recently noted the following in relation to why the Trump tariffs haven't had a more negative impact on the U.S. economy: What about the overall effect of Trump’s tariffs on the U.S. economy? As to that question, a separate Ana Swanson story provides
Questions about the Trump Administration's Trade Deals and Compatibility with WTO Obligations An issue that has been raised in relation to the Trump administration's various trade deals is whether they are compatible with WTO obligations. GATT Article XXIV, along with the Uruguay Round Understanding on the Interpretation of Article XXIV, sets out specific conditions that bilateral/regional deals on trade
Three Explanations for the Foreign Investment Pledges In recent months, President Trump and the Trump administration have been touting a $20 trillion or so figure that they say foreign companies/governments have pledged to invest in the U.S. I've had trouble figuring out what to make of all this, but I have three theories
Should Congress Codify Trump's Trade Deals? For the purposes of domestic law, the trade deals negotiated by the Trump administration have been concluded as executive agreements, and there is no indication that the administration wants Congress to approve them via statute. Some members of Congress have raised this possibility though.
Trump's Cambodia Trade Deal, Arms Exports, and the Role of Non-Trade Concessions In this post, I'm going to talk about some aspects of the recent U.S. trade deal with Cambodia that I haven't heard raised yet, including the following questions: (1) Is the decision to allow U.S. arms exports to Cambodia pursuant to this deal designed to boost U.S. manufacturing?
Is Section 122 of the 1974 Trade Act a Fall-Back Option for Trump to Impose Tariffs? Without IEEPA authority, as we have all discussed, where there is a will, there is a way. In all likelihood, this way involves the expanded use of other statutory authorities, such as Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act and Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974. In
Roundup of IEEPA Hearing Commentary I listened to today's Supreme Court hearing on the IEEPA tariff cases, but it was clear to me that I am not well-positioned to offer good insights on how the Court might rule. (The transcript is here if anyone wants to give this kind of tea leaf reading a shot themselves).
Economic and National Security Provisions in U.S. Trade Agreements A few weeks ago, I wrote a post cautioning everyone to "Beware the 'Securitization' of Trade Policy." So far, however, it looks like my post has been a big failure, as many people seem to be throwing caution to the wind, and instead of being wary
The Future of U.S. Big Tech and Social Media (and a Quick Thought on Manufacturing) As the saying goes, it's difficult to make predictions, especially about the future, but in a piece I wrote for the Baker Institute, I argue that the social media landscape is going to become smaller and more global, with U.S. big tech control declining. Is this just