The BS behind NAFTA and TPP: The economic benefits of free-trade deals are small according to a new congressional report

[Angelo Young| October 03, 2016 | Salon] Free-trade agreements have become a flashpoint in this year’s contentious presidential race as voters from the right and left have decried them. Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump had pledged to eliminate the North American Free Trade Agreement while Democrat Hillary Clinton has backed out of supporting the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a massive deal that would bring…

Chinese Purchases of U.S. Companies Have Some in Congress Raising Eyebrows

[Edward Wong| September 30, 2016 | The New York Times] PRINCETON, N.J. — Movie theaters and studios are rarely the focus of geopolitical conflict. But 16 members of Congress are raising this question: Should foreign acquisition of these kinds of American companies be subject to special scrutiny? In a recent letter, those politicians cited the…

Why Obama needs PhRMA

[Vicki Needham| September 28, 2016 | The Hill] Business groups are facing a major problem in their final push for passage of President Obama’s signature trade agreement — a lack of unity. While groups like the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce are committed to passing the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP),…

TPP: The “National Security” Sales PitchHave Some in Congress Raising Eyebrows

[Jeff Faux| September 29, 2016 | The Globalist] During the 1993 U.S. congressional debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement, a Democratic Congressman with a solid pro-labor voting record asked me why I thought NAFTA would be bad for working people. After I had given my answer, he responded: “Well, you may be right…

TPP Status: Congress is in recess until after the election

by Michael Stumo I was in DC last week focusing mostly on the TPP. Here is the current status. Paul Ryan again said, last week, that the TPP won’t come up for a vote in the lame duck session.  McConnell has said this before as well. However, their statements leave wiggle room for something changing.…

Levin Remarks at Council on Foreign Relations on Future of U.S. Trade Policy

[Press Release| September 28, 2016 | Democrat Ways and Means] WASHINGTON, DC – Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) today spoke and participated in a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations about the need for policymakers to take a fresh look at U.S. trade policy. Rep. Levin’s full prepared remarks can be…

Economists Keep Getting It Wrong Because the Media Cover Up Their Mistakes

[Dean Baker| September 29, 2016 | Beat the Press] Most workers suffer serious consequences when they mess up on their jobs. Custodians get fired if the toilet is not clean. Dishwashers lose their job when they break too many dishes, but not all workers are held accountable for the quality of their work. At the…

The Paul Krugman Problem and Why it Matters

[ Ian Fletcher| September 27, 2016 | Huffington Post] Here’s a question: guess which public figure wrote the following passages? The language in the second one is a bit technical, but shouldn’t be impossible to understand: “There is still a case for free trade as a good policy, and as a useful target in the…

More Wealth, More Jobs, but Not for Everyone: What Fuels the Backlash on Trade

[PETER S. GOODMAN | September 28, 2016 | The New York Times] ROTTERDAM, the Netherlands — For as long as ships have ventured across water, laborers like Patrick Duijzers have tied their fortunes to trade. A longshoreman here at Europe’s largest port, his black Jack Daniels T-shirt, hoop earrings and copious rings give Mr. Duijzers the look…

Sen Jeff Flake pushes GOP Senators to Flip to Vote for TPP in Lame Duck

[ Daily News| September 22, 2016 | Inside US Trade] U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake this week emphasized that Republican support is needed to get the Trans-Pacific Partnership over the finish line in the lame-duck session of Congress, acknowledging that the current political climate may not allow them to support the deal…