U.S.-Japan Trade Agreements
Ways and Means, Trade, U.S.-Japan Trade Agreements, November 20, 2019
Our prior assessment of the President's trade policy seems to be bearing out, although it would be interesting to investigate any side deals. Perhaps Mr. Nadler's Committee or the Eastern District of Virginia are better venues for this topic. Until their work is done, talk of future trade issues is premature. Perhaps Speaker Pelosi can provide a better read on trade policy for the near future.
Attachment One - 2019 Trade Policy Agenda, June 19, 2019
Trade negotiations with China, Japan, the EU, and the UK threatening tariffs have taken on the character of economic gunboat diplomacy, but without the Navy. These occur because the President is ill equipped by his background as a businessman to work cooperatively, which is the essence of governance in a free society. He has a freer hand in trade negotiations. Sadly, his experience as a CEO has not served the nation well. The modus operandi of most executives is to break things in order to be seen fixing them. This must stop. The public is not amused, including the Chamber of Commerce, farmers and the stock and commodity markets.
The solution to these problems lies not with oversight of trade policy but through using criminal contempt proceedings against the leadership if the Internal Revenue Service, the Secretary of the Treasury and anyone in the White House, possibly, if not probably, including the President for not releasing the tax information requested by the Chairman. The penalties for refusing to do so are quite clear and the opinion that a sitting President cannot be indicted can no way apply to this matter.
Today's witness is not likely to say his boss is a vainglorious idiot, so allow me to. It is well known that in this Administration, professional diplomatic expertise is not valued. Mr. Trump prefers to shoot from the lip. The incompetence of this president is tragic for our ongoing trade policy, which relies on a high degree of professionalism and careful work over a period of several administrations. NAFTA negotiations and it's successor, as well as similar free trade agreements are an example of this. The Trans-Pacific Partnership was one such effort, but it was derailed by presidential politics on both sides. In trade, what is good politics is often not good economic policy.
Our prior assessment of the President's trade policy seems to be bearing out, although it would be interesting to investigate any side deals. Perhaps Mr. Nadler's Committee or the Eastern District of Virginia are better venues for this topic. Until their work is done, talk of future trade issues is premature. Perhaps Speaker Pelosi can provide a better read on trade policy for the near future.
Attachment One - 2019 Trade Policy Agenda, June 19, 2019
Trade negotiations with China, Japan, the EU, and the UK threatening tariffs have taken on the character of economic gunboat diplomacy, but without the Navy. These occur because the President is ill equipped by his background as a businessman to work cooperatively, which is the essence of governance in a free society. He has a freer hand in trade negotiations. Sadly, his experience as a CEO has not served the nation well. The modus operandi of most executives is to break things in order to be seen fixing them. This must stop. The public is not amused, including the Chamber of Commerce, farmers and the stock and commodity markets.
The solution to these problems lies not with oversight of trade policy but through using criminal contempt proceedings against the leadership if the Internal Revenue Service, the Secretary of the Treasury and anyone in the White House, possibly, if not probably, including the President for not releasing the tax information requested by the Chairman. The penalties for refusing to do so are quite clear and the opinion that a sitting President cannot be indicted can no way apply to this matter.
Today's witness is not likely to say his boss is a vainglorious idiot, so allow me to. It is well known that in this Administration, professional diplomatic expertise is not valued. Mr. Trump prefers to shoot from the lip. The incompetence of this president is tragic for our ongoing trade policy, which relies on a high degree of professionalism and careful work over a period of several administrations. NAFTA negotiations and it's successor, as well as similar free trade agreements are an example of this. The Trans-Pacific Partnership was one such effort, but it was derailed by presidential politics on both sides. In trade, what is good politics is often not good economic policy.
posted by Michael Bindner at 10:00 AM
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