House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX), in meetings with members of the New Democrat Coalition and his panel’s minority members last week, sought input on a tax reform bill — including a controversial border adjustment provision — but left Democrats on Capitol Hill and other sources doubting whether Brady’s August time line…
President Trump, during a visit to Wisconsin on Tuesday, will sign an executive order directing the “systematic review” of Buy American laws and the exemptions to those laws granted to trading partners, as well as the reform of U.S. guest worker programs, particularly H-1B visas, according to senior administration officials. [Jenny Leonard] April 17th, 2017…
Japan wants to keep Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross out of an economic dialogue with the U.S. as it seeks to avoid disputes with the Trump administration over a weaker yen and trade imbalance, according to a Japanese official who asked not to be identified. [Isabel Reynolds, Maiko Takahashi and Connor Cislo] April 17th, 2017 [Bloomberg Politics]…
Billings, Mont. – In a public We the People petition launched today and promoted on its Website, Facebook and Twitter pages, R-CALF USA seeks 100,000 signatures during the next 30 days to call on the Trump Administration to ban imports of Brazilian beef until all beef sold in U.S. supermarkets is labeled with its country of origin. The We the…
President Trump said on Wednesday that his administration will not label China a currency manipulator in a Treasury Department report due out this week. April 12th, 2017 [Inside US Trade] “They’re not currency manipulators,” Trump said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal, adding that giving China the label now could hurt cooperation on efforts to…
Last Friday, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced that the U.S. and China have agreed to establish a 100-day plan on trade. The big news it that both the president of the United States and the president of China agree that trade imbalances are a big problem. But will this 100-day plan be effective or just…
President Trump has officially named the American Enterprise Institute’s Kevin Hassett as the chair of his Council of Economic Advisers. The CEA chair serves as the White House’s chief economist, and while Trump has demoted the position from the Cabinet-level standing it enjoyed under past presidents, it remains one of the most important economic policy jobs in the federal…
The president plans to nominate attorney Gilbert Kaplan to serve as under secretary of Commerce for international trade. April 11th, 2017 [Inside US Trade] Inside U.S. Trade reported in February that Kaplan would be the pick for the job provided Wilbur Ross was confirmed as Commerce secretary. Kaplan is a partner at the law firm King &…
Ten House members have urged two top agriculture appropriators to insert language in the fiscal year 2018 Agriculture and Related Agencies Appropriations bill that would prevent money from being spent on the implementation of a rule that would allow U.S. imports of poultry slaughtered in China. [Jack Caporal] April 10th, 2017 [Inside US Trade] The…
Berlin (AFP) – The chiefs of the IMF, WTO and OECD vowed Monday in a joint statement to defend free trade against creeping protectionist trends, amid growing global alarm over US President Donald Trump’s “America First” call. [AFP] April 10th, 2017 [Breitbart] “Disappointing trade growth figures and the danger of increasing protectionist tendencies give us…