As a result, CEI experts have encouraged and supported trade-enhancing policies and treaties over the years, including “fast-track” Trade Promotion Authority, specific trade deals, and multilateral efforts such as the Doha round of the World Trade Organization. We have opposed increased tariffs, attempts to increase regulation through trade deal language, and the trend toward bilateral rather than multilateral deals. CEI continues to make the case for free trade in the face of increased bipartisan hostility to the idea.
CEI’s experts also work with like-minded colleagues abroad to oppose harmful initiatives, such as working with British colleagues to stop that country’s competition agency from blocking mergers between American firms based on speculative reasoning.
Featured Posts
Blog
Trump’s deregulation shines, but tariffs and antitrust cloud the scene
The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) this month released a new report on the Trump administration’s regulatory rollback efforts. Titled “The Economic…
News Release
Fed keeps interest rates steady, uncertainty over tariffs still looms: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve has decided to keep interest rates steady in its goal to lower overall inflation. While there have been fewer shakeups in…
Blog
Matt Ridley’s wisdom on trust and trade
In 1834, Charles Darwin encountered a group of natives in Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America. Although both parties were unable…
Search Posts
Blog
Trump’s deregulation shines, but tariffs and antitrust cloud the scene
The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) this month released a new report on the Trump administration’s regulatory rollback efforts. Titled “The Economic…
News Release
Fed keeps interest rates steady, uncertainty over tariffs still looms: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve has decided to keep interest rates steady in its goal to lower overall inflation. While there have been fewer shakeups in…
Comment
CEI comments on repealing DOE’s 1605(b) Regulations: Ending the Trojan Horse for Cap-and-Trade
Dear Mr. Taggert: On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), I respectfully submit these comments on the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) proposed rule to…
Letters
CEI joins Advancing American Freedom calling on Congress to reassert its control over the the Unconstitutional Tariffs.
Dear Member of Congress: Your constituents are hurting because of President Trump’s tariffs. That harm will only worsen as the economic losses and price increases…
Blog
Matt Ridley’s wisdom on trust and trade
In 1834, Charles Darwin encountered a group of natives in Tierra del Fuego, at the southern tip of South America. Although both parties were unable…
Blog
Africa (and America) need free trade and deregulation, not generosity
Here is a letter I recently wrote to the Wall Street Journal. Africa (and America) need Free Trade and Deregulation, not…
News Release
Trump’s trade negotiations with China put US at disadvantage
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is immersed in trade talks with China in London this week, hoping for a resolution to conflicts over restrictions and…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Tariffs and corruption with Justin Callais
In this week’s episode we cover Autumn Billings on donor privacy, Wayne Crews on the DOGE legacy, and Joey Politano on the…
Blog
Two courts, one message: Tariffs need congressional backing
Within the last few days, two courts have enjoined President Trump’s tariffs under International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) finding them unlawful. First, the US…
News Release
Coalition urges Commodity Futures Trading Commission cut red tape on prediction markets
The Competitive Enterprise Institute today sent a coalition letter to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) urging it to adopt a policy of permissionless innovation…
Blog
Life is made of trade
If I hadn’t become an economist, I might have found happiness as an evolutionary biologist. The two ways of thinking have a lot in common.
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Protecting consumer credit with Caroline Melear
In this week’s episode we cover new research on trade and tariffs, how to understand market forces, and good news for…
News Release
Report offers trade reform blueprint for Congress
President Trump’s Liberation Day trade tariff policies are failing, just as economists predicted. What can stop the tariff-imposed pain of higher prices, fewer choices, and…
Blog
New CEI paper: How to break the trade blockade
Today is release day for a new CEI paper by Kent Lassman, Iain Murray, and me, Trade Under Blockade: Navigating a Global Trade War.
Study
Trade Under Blockade
Introduction President Donald Trump threw the world trading system into disarray with his “Liberation Day” announcement on April 2, 2025. The principles behind the General…
News Release
Newly announced tariffs on EU and Apple will harm U.S. economy, raise costs for consumers
This morning, President Trump announced a 50 percent tariff on the European Union starting on June 1 and a 25 percent tariff on iPhones…
Blog
Tariffs and the anchor heuristic
It feels like President Trump is cutting tariffs. He has agreed to tariff deals with China and the UK, and he paused his biggest Liberation…
National Review
The Tariff Roller Coaster Is Playing Tricks on You
It sure feels like President Trump has reduced tariffs. The recent China deal cut tariff rates from 145 percent to 30 percent, and de minimis tariffs…
News Release
Consumer sentiment down nearly 30 percent, tariffs and inflation to blame: CEI analysis
Consumer sentiment is down nearly 30 percent according to an April survey conducted by the University of Michigan. CEI senior economist Ryan Young…
News Release
Producer Price Index fell by 0.5 percent in April, price increases and lower demand likely cause: CEI analysis
The Producer Price Index for April shows the seasonally adjusted final demand fell by 0.5 percent. CEI senior economist Ryan Young says the…
The Center Square
Producer prices fell unexpectedly in latest data
The Center Square cited CEI’s expert on tariffs and lower consumer demand Ryan Young, senior economist with the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said in a statement…
Blog
Record tariff revenue is no match for record spending
Tariffs raised a record $16.3 billion of tax revenue in April, according to the Wall Street Journal. Averaged out over a whole year, this…
The Epoch Times
What to Know About Trump’s Plan to Slash Drug Prices
The Epoch Times cited CEI’s expert on drug prices “Jeremy Nighohossian, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a libertarian think tank, told The…
Newsweek
Did Donald Trump Lose China Trade War? 10 Experts Weigh In
Newsweek quoted CEI’s expert on the trade war Ryan Young, Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) Young, a senior economist with the CEI, told Newsweek that the agreed-to reductions…
Blog
US-China tariff pause is good news, needs context
The Trump administration and the Chinese government announced a 90-day tariff reduction. While this is good news, it deserves context. The risk of recession…
News Release
Trump’s US/UK Trade Framework: One Cheer
President Trump today announced a framework for a US-UK trade deal, in a lengthy Oval Office press event. CEI trade policy expert Ryan Young…
Blog
US-UK trade deal: What it should contain
As I write this, we are awaiting the announcement of the US-UK trade deal from the White House, with reaction from UK Prime Minister Sir…
News Release
Interest rates hold steady for now, markets still spooked by tariff troubles: CEI analysis
The Federal Reserve has decided once again to keep interest rates steady, likely in response to President Trump’s flurry of tariff policies. CEI senior…
Fox Business
US trade deficit hits record high in March
Fox Business cited CEI’s expert on trade deficits “Trump’s trade deficit fixation is a mistake,” said Competitive Enterprise Institute senior economist Ryan Young. “The U.S.
Blog
Farm subsidies, car interest deduction show tariffs’ triple harms
Tariffs are a three-in-one tool for economic self-harm. The first harm comes from the tariffs themselves, which raise producer costs and consumer prices in the…
News Release
Trade deficit grew in March, tariff effects just beginning: CEI analysis
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, the US trade deficit grew by 14 percent in March ahead of President Trump’s broad tariff announcement…
Blog
Why do so many countries have tariffs?
Over at the Center Square, Iain Murray and I ask an overlooked question: If tariffs are so bad, then why does nearly every country…
Center Square Opinion
Why do so many countries have tariffs?
If tariffs are so bad, then why does nearly every country have them? It’s a fair question, and many Trump tariff defenders are asking it.
Blog
That didn’t take long: Tariffs shrink economy in just two months
The US is halfway to a self-imposed recession, and tariffs are to blame. A healthy economy started shrinking even before President Trump’s Rose Garden…
Newsweek
US Industrial Output To Be Worst Hit Globally by Trump Tariffs
Newsweek cited CEI’s expert on tariffs Ryan Young, senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, previously told Newsweek: “Tariff-related shipping slowdowns will cause a regional cascade…
News Release
Economy shrinks following Trump tariffs: CEI analysis
America’s GDP shrank during the first quarter of 2025 following President Trump’s spate of trade tariffs imposed on various countries in his first 100…
Washington Examiner
Trump 100-day report card: Tariff rollout ‘the biggest unforced error in American economic history’
The Washington Examiner cited CEI’s expert on tariffs In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Ryan Young, a senior economist at the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
News Release
Escalating trade war with China won’t fix the need for reform: CEI analysis
On Monday, China vowed to retaliate against nations that corporate with President Trump’s tariffs against Beijing, putting potential trade deals between the US and other…
Blog
Trump’s tariffs: Look for the union label
One of the biggest boosters of President Trump’s tariffs has been the United Auto Workers (UAW). The venerable union wants to see domestic factories expanded…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Economic ideas for American workers with Ryan Young
In this week’s episode we cover teaching with AI, clearing the way for new nuclear development, and eliminating soda and candy…
The National News Desk
Federal Reserve chair sees growing risk of stagflation as Trump pushes rate cuts
The National News Desk quoted CEI’s expert on tariffs. “It’s a realistic fear,” said Ryan Young, a senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “If…
News Release
A US/UK trade deal faces barriers: CEI analysis
Amidst the ongoing tariff drama, Vice President J.D. Vance said this week that the United States and the United Kingdom could strike a trade…
Blog
Definitely maybe tariff relief on electronics
Smartphone and laptop buyers got some good news over the weekend with a lower tariff on Chinese-made electronics, at least for now. The exemption’s…
Blog
Free the Economy podcast: Trade myths (and facts) with Prof. Michael Coon
In this week’s episode we cover smartphones for kids, insomnia and anxiety in pre-industrial times, and a blueprint for modernizing the…
News Release
Inflation decreases in March, tariff turmoil yet to have an effect: CEI analysis
The Consumer Price Index for March shows a 0.1 percent decrease across all sectors, deviating from previous months. CEI senior economist Ryan Young…
News Release
Trump’s 90-day tariff pause is a welcome decision, but market uncertainty still looms: CEI analysis
On Wednesday, President Trump announced a pause on most of his “Liberation Day” tariffs. CEI senior economist Ryan Young says the president has already…
News Release
Trump’s tariffs on China mean more economic pain on the way for consumers: CEI analysis
President Trump announced on Monday a 50 percent retaliatory tariff against China’s 34 percent retaliatory tariff. CEI senior economist Ryan Young says enough is enough.
Blog
An economic, constitutional, and geopolitical disaster
Yesterday’s tariff announcement was long expected, yet its details came as a surprise. In one regard it was less bad than it could have been:…
Marketplace
Our post-tariff takeaways
MarketPlace cited CEI’s expert on tariffs Listen to more on MarketPlace…
News Release
New tariffs could spell major trouble for global economy: CEI analysis
President Trump has dubbed today “Liberation Day” by announcing a new round of tariffs on various goods entering the US. CEI senior economist Ryan…
