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.
Now that we have re-elected President Trump for a second term to work on achieving his goal of Making America Great Again, it’s time to focus on how to rebuild America’s manufacturing industry because we can’t be great again without a strong domestic manufacturing industry.
For Mr. Lutnick to lead the tariff and trade agenda in the next Administration, he will need an aligned Treasury Secretary to executive critical policies on customs revenue generation, customs valuation, and de minimis.
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.
Keynes believed that free trade could exacerbate domestic unemployment and economic imbalances and argues for the use of tariffs and trade protections to safeguard national industries, preserve employment, and promote the balance of trade.
Tariffs are becoming widely accepted by U.S. politicians and policymakers as an important tool for maintaining and rebuilding our industrial economy. But quotas, a related tool, can sometimes work better to restrain imports and encourage growth in domestic production, investment and jobs.
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.
