by Michael Stumo Are the TTIP talks dead, as Germany’s Vice Chancellor said? Or are they making progress, like the Obama administration countered? My money is on the “dead” side. German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said that the US and EU have not agreed on a single chapter after 14 rounds of Trans-Atlantic Trade and…
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to close the door Thursday on the Senate taking up the Obama administration’s signature Asia-Pacific trade deal during what’s left of the president’s term. [Jordain Carney| August 25, 2016 | The Hill] “The current agreement, the Trans-Pacific [Partnership], which has some serious flaws, will not be acted upon this year,” McConnell…
Former Deputy US Trade Representative Wendy Cutler recently published a Forbes commentary criticizing the national backlash against trade agreements and supporting the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade and global governance deal. The article troublingly displays how the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) has failed to adjust trade strategy to correct for past mistakes. Snarky straw man…
by Michael Stumo Mitch McConnell told the Kentucky Farm Bureau this week that the TPP will not be acted on this year. This is the Senate Majority Leader’s strongest statement yet against a TPP vote in Lame Duck. And it was not a pandering statement because the American Farm Bureau Federation, a bunch of insurance…
Dan DiMicco, senior trade policy adviser to the Trump campaign and the former chairman and CEO of Nucor Steel, contends that major trade deals like NAFTA have essentially killed free trade in the U.S. [Daily News| August 22, 2016 | Inside US Trade] DiMicco – who left Nucor in 2012 and was named trade adviser to…
The White House is making one last push for passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, most likely during the lame duck session of Congress, after the elections but before the end of the year. This is despite the fact that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton opposes the TPP, as did Bernie Sanders, her rival in the…
Washington — With both presidential candidates running on their opposition to President Obama’s proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade agreement, the White House is gearing up for one last, desperate push to get the deal through Congress. The pitch, which will begin in a few weeks, will rely on what President Obama thinks is his ace in the hole:…
A new survey of business economists shows a significant majority favors the adoption of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, though a large percentage wants the U.S. to seek “more favorable terms.” [Daily News| August 22, 2016 | Inside US Trade] The survey of 414 members of the National Association of Business Economists says less than half – 47 percent –…
by Michael Stumo Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has never expressed concern about trade deficits, an unfortunate neglect in his position as Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Finance Committee. He has also never expressed concern that his “yes” vote on the Korea trade agreement in 2011 resulted in a doubling of our trade deficit with…
At an August 13, 2016 meeting of a state farm organization where he was the guest speaker, Harwood was asked what impact the recently inked beef agreement between the US and Brazil would have on US beef producers. The agreement he was asked about was announced on August 1, 2016 by the United States Department…