Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent faced a divided Senate Finance Committee on Thursday for another Trump nomination hearing this week. To his credit, Bessent demonstrated a masterful view of the macroeconomics around tariffs, trade, and currency.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) will be confirmed as Secretary of State. He had very little pushback in his confirmation hearing among his colleagues on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator Michael Crapo (R-ID) is already setting his agenda: renewing the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), expiring this year, and new trade deals that open agriculture markets to U.S. exports.
These programs, which allow foreign e-commerce vendors to bypass U.S. customs processes, will continue to ensure that the de minimis loophole remains a flawed system that undermines American workers, businesses, and national security.
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.
Nucor Corporation has announced it will halt production at its wire rod rolling mill in Connecticut, citing challenging market conditions created by a flood of low-priced imports from Canada, Greece, Mexico, Poland, and Ukraine.
Widely regarded as one of the nation’s leading experts on tariffs, industrial policy, economic modeling, and trade policy, Ferry’s contributions to CPA and the broader economic policy landscape have been transformative.
The Biden administration’s order followed a December 23 report by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which found that the acquisition posed unacceptable risks to America’s national security.
The CBO has not come all the way to our side, but it is nevertheless a partial confirmation of our view of the US economy. Broad-based tariffs will generate economic growth, create jobs, and raise household incomes, with only a very minor one-time increase in consumer prices.