Worker-Centered Trade Means Reshoring U.S. Industries

In June, U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai gave a speech in which she outlined her vision of worker-centered trade, a popular phrase among Biden administration officials. According to Tai: “Build Back Better starts by growing the economy from the bottom up and the middle out and putting workers at the center of our economic plans…In…

U.S. June Trade Deficit Hits New Record of $75.7 Billion As Imports Surge

Goods Deficit Also Sets Monthly Record at $93.2 Billion Department of Commerce figures published this morning show that in June the U.S. reported a trade deficit of $75.7 billion, a new record for U.S. and world history. The deficit was 6.7 percent higher than the May figure, and 49.4 percent worse than the year-ago June…

Comprehensive ITC Study Finds Little or No Benefit For U.S. From Trade Agreements

The US International Trade Commission (ITC) recently released a comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of all trade agreements the United States has entered into since 1985. Trade agreement negotiation, passage and implementation has been controversial throughout this time period. The ITC report is significant as the first recognition by a federal government trade agency…

CPA Model: US-UK Trade Agreement Would Make Over 3,000 Unemployed, Reduce GDP in U.S.

Key Points CPA’s economic modeling of a U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement that cut tariffs to zero between the two countries shows that such an agreement would increase unemployment by more than 2,000 jobs and reduce U.S. GDP by $142 million. This economic model includes for the first time a methodology for estimating job loss due…

The Negative Impact of GSP and Trade Liberalization on Developing Countries: A Review of the Economic Literature

The United States government has pursued trade liberalization for several decades. A substantial driver of this liberalization has been the assumption that more global trade would help developing countries become wealthier. However, there is considerable research that shows how trade liberalization policies have not always been the best tool to help support economic growth and…

Has the U.S. Learned Anything? Cut-Price China Face Masks Driving U.S. Mask Makers Out of Business

A year ago, at the height of the pandemic, a severe shortage of vital personal protective equipment (PPE) hit America. Hospitals were asking staff to re-use masks and other protective equipment. Health care professionals, political leaders, and ordinary people with family members in hospitals and on ventilators were all in agreement: the U.S. must not…

CPA Reshoring Index Improves Slightly in 2020 as Manufacturing Trade Deficit Plunges to Worst Ever

Executive Summary The CPA Reshoring Index is the first and only measure of U.S. producers’ share of the U.S. domestic market for manufactured goods. It is calculated from federal government data on manufacturing production, imports, and exports. The Reshoring Index for 2020 shows that U.S. producers had a 69.6% share of the U.S. market with…