The goods and services trade deficit rose 7.6% in November to $78.2 billion, a big leap from previous months when the deficit was trailing under the three month moving average, based on Bureau of Economic Analysis data released this week.
A mostly Democratic Party panel of members of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) held a hearing on tariffs on Wednesday, where the room was heavily weighted against incoming president Trump’s 10% (or 20%) universal tariff proposal.
Biden’s signature climate change-related spending policy, the Inflation Reduction Act, is said to be going under the knife once Trump takes office in January. But with Republican districts now full of solar, and solar manufacturing facilities, the real risk is changes to the so-called 45X tax credit.
The takeaway from the roughly 90 minute hearing titled “Rebuilding the Arsenal of Democracy” was that the government needed long term contracts and more money to build up defense systems because, based on war games conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the U.S. struggled to hold its own.
President-elect Donald Trump read Mexico and Canada the riot act on Monday night, telling them if they don’t seal their border and – in Mexico’s case – drastically slow the flow of fentanyl and other narcotics into the U.S., they’ll be hit with 25% tariffs starting January 20, 2025.
Either we have a fashion industry or we have de minimis, but we cannot have both, warned Jacob Helberg, one of the 10 commissioners for the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission.
The U.S. goods and services deficit took a surprising 19.3% leap to $84.4 billion in September, with exports falling by 1.2% and imports rising by 3%, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Tuesday.
De minimis, a customs rule that allows for duty free shipment and minimal inspection if the overseas vendor claims the value is under $800, is a haven for contraband, whether it’s fake Nikes, childrens’ toys made of lead, or banned food products, Customs and Border Protect (CBP) admitted yet again.
The leading contenders for the White House all favor blocking the U.S. Steel sale to Nippon Steel of Japan, a sale that might yet reward its senior executive, David Burritt, with a $72 million pay package once it closes. Globalist-thinking institutions are all in favor of the deal.
Trump spoke for nearly two hours in his usual off the cuff speaking engagement at the Detroit Economic Club in Michigan recently. The automotive industry was a priority topic, with the presidential candidate saying Washington has to incentivize American auto makers.
