Bryan Riley is director of the National Taxpayers Union's Free Trade Initiative. He previously was an advocate for free trade through his research and writing for The Heritage Foundation, where he was the Jay Van Andel senior analyst in trade policy.
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Some vocal critics of Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which authorizes the President to negotiate trade agreements with other countries, argue that free trade harms U.S…. Read More
Legislation to give President Obama Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) was just introduced. TPA gives the President the authority to negotiate trade agreements, which are then… Read More
Recent media reports have questioned whether “Tea Party” members support free trade. Historically, the record is clear: Tea partiers were America’s original free traders. In… Read More
A number of U.S. legislators want to give the Obama Administration the power to impose tariffs on imports from countries that manipulate their currencies. Such… Read More
The Federal Reserve recently cut its forecast for economic growth in the United States. That’s a problem. We need higher growth to create jobs and… Read More
On July 31, the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) expired. GSP is a program that waives tariffs on thousands of products that Americans import from… Read More
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations are taking place this week in Malaysia. Here’s a modest suggestion to help new U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman bring… Read More
There’s a good chance Congress will consider legislation this summer to extend trade promotion authority (TPA) to President Obama. If it does, lawmakers should pay… Read More
The government just announced that the trade deficit for May increased by $400 million. Usually, the media report announcements of bigger trade deficits as bad… Read More
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently reported that job-creating foreign investment in the United States is approaching $26 trillion. In the first quarter… Read More
A June 18 House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing will focus on the future of liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. Currently, the U.S. can freely… Read More
Proposed changes to food aid programs would allow U.S. tax dollars to feed more people at a lower cost. Representatives Ed Royce (R–CA) and Karen… Read More
The United States is currently engaged in Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade negotiations designed to reduce barriers to international trade and investment. The latest text from… Read More
A recent news report was headlined: “Lawmakers, business groups balk at trade deal with protectionist Japan.” A more accurate title would have been: “Protectionist U.S…. Read More
Congress is currently fighting over the future of U.S. farm programs. In 2011, taxpayers subsidized farmers to the tune of $10.4 billion in government payments…. Read More
It was recently reported that the federal government is considering buying 400,000 tons of sugar to prop up prices for sugar producers. The government would… Read More
President Obama is in the Middle East this week, two years and three months after Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi unleashed the Arab Spring by… Read More
In 2012, $3.4 trillion came into the United States through trade and investment, and $3.4 trillion left, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA)…. Read More
The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) recently released statistics on U.S. exports for January, but failed to mention of one of the biggest U.S. “exports”—federal… Read More
The latest trade deficit figures are out, and, as always, most reports fail to accurately explain what these numbers mean. Consider the following widely reported… Read More
According to a recent statement from the American Sugar Alliance: Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released three key… Read More
An obsolete U.S. law known as the Jones Act makes people in Puerto Rico poorer, according to a new report from the Federal Reserve Bank… Read More
U.S. consumers will soon be paying more for tomatoes thanks to the Obama Administration’s new trade policy. Under a just-announced agreement with Mexico, Americans reportedly… Read More
On February 8, the government will release data for 2012 imports and exports. This annual release often ignites a debate about trade policy. But among… Read More
As President Obama crafts his 2013 trade agenda, he should look to the words of Ronald Reagan for inspiration: Free trade serves the cause of… Read More
The latest trade deficit figures are out, and like always, most reporters fail to accurately explain what these numbers mean. During the past 10 years,… Read More
The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) announced today that imports and exports both declined in October while the overall trade deficit increased. Reactions to… Read More
Yesterday, in a rare showing of bipartisanship, the lame-duck Senate passed the Russia and Moldova Jackson–Vanik Repeal Act of 2012 by a vote of 92–4…. Read More
If Congress wants to create more jobs this holiday shopping season, it can start by eliminating many Depression-era tariffs on shoes. According to the Bureau… Read More
Senators Ben Cardin (D–MD) and Jon Kyl (R–AZ) have joined together to sponsor a modern piece of human rights legislation, the Sergei Magnitsky Rule of… Read More
