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
Reports of American manufacturing’s death are greatly exaggerated
In an op-ed being syndicated by InsideSources, I take on one of the most persistent myths in politics: that American manufacturing is in decline.
Op-Eds
American Manufacturing Does Well Without Washington
The purported decline and fall of American manufacturing is a bipartisan obsession. Despite all their differences, Republican and Democratic politicians favor similar policies to restore…
The Washington Times
Retail industry projects surge in post-Christmas regifting and returns
The Washington Times quoted CEI’s expert on regifting in the retail industry The problem is that regifting ‘can suggest a certain laziness on the part…
Search Posts
Blog
Carbon Tariffs Would Hurt Consumers, Slow Recovery
Over in the Washington Examiner, I take a look at the carbon tariff proposal that will likely be in the $3.5 trillion spending bill…
Blog
Green Protectionism on the Rise?
The $3.5 trillion budget proposal that the Democratic leadership in Congress is putting together will reportedly include the world’s first carbon tariffs, which are…
News Release
CEI Experts React to President Biden’s Wide-Ranging Executive Order on Competition
President Joe Biden signed an Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy today, which the White House claims is aimed at enhancing…
Blog
A Better Approach to Tariff Diplomacy
In diplomacy, carrots tend to be more effective than sticks. Yet, two consecutive administrations have used tariff threats to try to achieve their objectives. Former…
National Review
Are Tariffs the Right Response to Foreign Digital Taxes?
Last week’s G-7 meetings provided an opportunity to resolve the growing international tensions over tariffs. Simply removing the tariffs enacted by and against the…
News Release
US/EU Reach Limited Agreement on Aerospace Tariffs but Fall Short
The European Union and the United States eagerly announced today that they resolved their 17-year dispute over aerospace subsidies, but subsidies to Boeing and Airbus will remain…
National Review
Israel Has Every Right to Destroy Hamas
For more than 50 years, the diplomacy surrounding major outbreaks of Israeli–Arab violence has followed a standard progression. The United Nations Security Council goes into…
Blog
Steel Companies Lobby for Steel Tariffs, Biden to Double Lumber Tariffs
One of the first things President Biden should have done upon taking office was to eliminate the Trump tariffs. This would have provided potent economic…
USA Today
Buying American Is Harder Than It Sounds: Jeep Is A Good Example
USA Today cites Vice President for Policy Iain Murray on the “buy American” movement: “Buy American provisions have one effect above all…
National Review
Biden’s ‘Infrastructure’ Plan: If You Build It, You Will Pay
You and I come by road or rail. Economists travel on infrastructure,” Margaret Thatcher once told an audience — pillorying economists’ love of jargon…
Blog
The UK Should Beware of Future Restrictions against UK-EU Data Flows
The British government must beware of future challenges to the United Kingdom’s ability to transfer data to and from the European Economic Area (EEA) due…
Blog
Debate over Vaccination Passports Gathers Steam in Europe and United Kingdom
The concept of a “vaccination passport” was raised in the European Union (EU) early in the pandemic. EU documents show a timetable for discussion of…
Blog
U.S. Trade Representative Tai Should Rethink Keeping China Tariffs in Place
Over the weekend, The Wall Street Journal interviewed Katherine Tai, the new United States Trade Representative. She has a lot of work ahead of her…
News Release
FTC Nominee Khan’s Antitrust Views Will Have Negative Consequences for Consumers if Made Official Policy
Competitive Enterprise Institute experts reacted to today’s announcement the White House intends to nominate Lina Khan to be a Commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission,…
Blog
Some Good Tariff News
I’ve written before about the 17-year-long dispute between the United States and the European Union over Boeing and Airbus subsidies. Each jurisdiction has placed…
Blog
UK Court Ruling on Uber will Mean Fewer, More Expensive Rides, and Fewer Jobs
Today, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom ruled on an important question as to whether certain drivers who work with Uber are entitled to…
Blog
Priorities for Commerce Secretary Nominee Raimondo: Tariffs, TPA, Trade Agreements
President-Elect Biden will nominate Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo to be the next Commerce Secretary. She will soon be in a position to undo much…
Blog
Investor-State Dispute Settlement Claims Hold Steady During Pandemic: Reform Is Still in Progress and Is Still Desired
Companies take large risks when investing abroad, and countries have an important self-interest in attracting foreign investment. The Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism allows foreign…
Letters
CEI Joins ATR Leads Coalition Opposing OECD’s Digital Taxation Proposal
We, the undersigned 23 organizations, representing taxpayers and consumers across the globe, strongly urge you to oppose any and all attempts to curb international tax…
Blog
What to Expect from Biden’s Trade Policy: Fast Track, China, and Labor
Joe Biden supported the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in 2015, and organized labor has not forgotten. But there appears to be growing optimism among…
Blog
Changing Trends in Trade Legislation: Toward Limiting Executive Power?
There is no shortage of criticism of the Trump administration’s trade policy. The president and his administration have been digging deep into the toolbox…
News Release
Record GDP Numbers: Good News and Next Steps
Today’s GDP numbers are good news — but what policies will help people who still suffering and aid a fuller recovery? Ryan Young, CEI Senior Fellow:…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Opposing Oil Tariffs
Dear Majority Leader McConnell: After a dozen extensions and nearly three decades on the books, it’s time to end the Production Tax Credit. The Production…
Blog
Tit-for-Tat Tariffs Don’t Work: Boeing and Airbus Show Why
A 16 year-long aerospace subsidies dispute between the United States and the European Union began another round this week. The U.S. claims that the EU’s…
Blog
Trade News: WTO Rules China Tariffs Violate Rules, Aluminum Tariffs Dropped, No Trade Deal with EU
Usually policy-related news slows down near elections; nobody wants to rock the boat. This has not been the case with trade policy. Three important stories…
News Release
WTO Rules Against Trump’s China tariffs, but the Problem Remains the Tariffs Themselves
The World Trade Organization ruled today that President Trump violated global trade rules by unilaterally imposing tariffs on over $350 billion worth of Chinese…
News Release
Trump Administration Backs Down on Tariffs on Canada Aluminum, But Long-Term Problems Unfixed
In another high stakes trade matter today, the Trump administration decided to back down from plans to impose tariffs on Canadian aluminum. Just before…
News Release
Report: #Neverneeded 1920 Jones Act Hinders Coronavirus Economic Recovery
A 100-year-old law that imposes restrictions on commercial shipping now stands as a barrier to economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic and imposes unfair costs…
Study
Repeal or Reform the Jones Act
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Tens of millions have lost their jobs. Unleashing the innovation and productivity…
Blog
Canadian Aluminum Tariff Increase is #NeverNeeded, Should Be Repealed Instead
President Trump on Thursday announced he will reimpose 10 percent aluminum tariffs against Canada. Originally enacted in 2018 on national security grounds, the tax was…
National Review
The Many Distortions of the Jones Act
Protectionism isn’t always bad. But sometimes protectionist measures are so poorly designed that they hurt everyone, including the intended the beneficiaries, and wind up benefiting America’s…
National Review
The Deep End of the Swamp
If you’ve never heard of the Jones Act, there’s a good reason. It stays mostly hidden in the deepest part of “the swamp” of America’s special-interest…
News Release
Report: Tariff Relief Would Help COVID-19 Recovery
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report proposes three plans Congress and the Trump administration can enact immediately to lift trade barriers in the way of…
Blog
New #NeverNeeded Paper: Remove or Reduce Tariffs
Trade barriers are an obvious #NeverNeeded candidate for removal during a pandemic and a recession. They make medical supplies scarcer and more expensive. They raise…
Study
Repeal #NeverNeeded Trade Barriers
The most important priorities during the coronavirus pandemic are keeping people safe and minimizing economic damage. Trade barriers are harming both priorities. This paper contains…
Blog
Managed Trade: USMCA Comes into Effect Today
The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) comes into effect today. USMCA’s policy changes are modest, and its economic impact will be small. But it sets a…
Blog
A Bright Spot for Tech on USMCA Day
Today the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement goes into effect. Despite its many flaws, it contains a beneficial provision related to the tech sector. The language of…
News Release
100 Year-Old Jones Act Shipping Restrictions an “America Last” Policy
A new Competitive Enterprise Institute report details extensive damage inflicted by a 100 year old law called the “Jones Act,” which requires any ship traveling…
Study
America Last
The Jones Act requires any ship traveling between two U.S. points to be U.S.-manufactured, -owned, -flagged, and -crewed. This heavy-handed protectionist measure was enacted in 1920…
Blog
Supreme Court Declines to Hear Steel Tariff Case: Time for Congress to Act
President Trump’s steel tariffs were intended to boost U.S. manufacturing. They backfired to the point where a group of steel-using industries sued to stop the…
Blog
Trump Defers Tariff Payments for Struggling Businesses: A Good Start, More Needed
President Trump has deferred selected tariff payments for companies experiencing coronavirus-related hardship. It came after more than two weeks of starts, stops, denials, and reversals.
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter on Taiwan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the Republic of China
Dear Mr. President: We are writing to encourage you to initiate negotiations on a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Republic of China (Taiwan). Such…
Blog
Trump Administration Suspends Tariffs, but Not Confusion, for Three Months
On Friday evening, the Trump administration announced it would stop collecting all tariff revenue for three months, effective immediately. In ordinary times, the news would…
National Review
Pandemics, Stimulus, and the Limitations of Flash Policy
Over the past two weeks, America has faced the onset of a pandemic, an oil-price war, and a stock-market crash. In the face of these…
Blog
Liberate to Stimulate 2020: Let’s Start with Trade
The past two weeks have seen a volatile market owing to concerns over coronavirus, which suggests an economic downturn could be on the cards. The…
Blog
VIDEO: Trade Is Not a Four-Letter Word
Former Export-Import Bank Chairman Fred Hochberg recently made an appearance at the American Enterprise Institute to promote his new book, Trade Is Not a Four…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter on EB-5 Reform
Dear Chairman Graham and Ranking Member Feinstein: On behalf of the undersigned organizations, we write to support the Immigrant Investor Program Reform Act, S.2778,…
The Washington Examiner
Trump Trade Wins Don’t Eliminate the Threat of More Tariffs
The Washington Examiner cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on trade with China: Ryan Young, a trade policy expert with the libertarian Competitive Enterprise…
The Washington Times
Trump Signs Landmark Trade Deal With China to Fix ‘Wrongs of the Past’
The Washington Times cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on trade with China: Competitive Enterprise Institute senior fellow Ryan Young said the deal “will…
Blog
Senate Passes USMCA, Sets Bad Precedent for Future Agreements with China, UK, EU
The USMCA trade agreement passed the Senate today. USMCA is valuable damage control. Three years of unpredictable tariff increases, threats of increases, and diplomatic tensions…
Blog
Phase One Trade Agreement with China: Tariff Stability, at the Cost of Managed Trade
Phase One of a trade deal with China has enormous value as damage control against further tariffs, but it comes at a cost. The Trump…
News Release
Trump’s China Trade Deal Helps with Future Tariffs but Comes at a Big Cost
President Trump today signed an initial trade deal with China, defusing a spate of recent trade disputes with one of the world’s largest economies. CEI…
Blog
Brexit Update: Nigel Ashford and Iain Murray Offer Analysis
With the vote yesterday in the House of Commons to approve Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan for separating the United Kingdom from the European Union,…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging Finance Ministers to Oppose Global Digital Taxation
On behalf of billions of taxpayers and consumers around the globe, we, the undersigned, urge you to oppose international efforts to weaponize global conversations about…
Letters
CEI Joins TPA Coalition Letter on Section 232
Dear Senator, On behalf of millions of taxpayers and consumers across the country, we, the undersigned, write to urge members of the Senate Finance Committee…
The Washington Examiner
Trump Faces Decision on Whether to Escalate Trade Wars Heading into 2020
The Washington Examiner cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on tariffs: Ryan Young, a trade policy expert at the libertarian Competitive Enterprise Institute, expects…
The Washington Times
Trump to ‘Restore’ Tariffs on Steel and Aluminum from Argentina and Brazil
The Washington Times cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on tariffs. A trade specialist for the Competitive Enterprise Institute said new tariffs won’t help…
Foreign Policy
Bid to Revive Export-Import Bank Runs Aground
Foreign Policy cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on the Ex-Im bank: “It’s the ‘they do it, too’ fallacy,” said Ryan Young of the…
Blog
UN Climate Conference in Madrid Fails to Set Rules for Carbon Trading Market
The twenty-fifth Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-25) was supposed to wrap up one issue remaining from last…
Blog
Dutch Supreme Court Upholds Climate Lawsuit against Government
The Dutch Supreme Court on December 20th rejected an appeal by the Dutch government to overturn an appellate court’s October 2018 decision to uphold a lower…
Blog
Phase One of a China-U.S. Trade Agreement and the Ratchet Effect
As of Friday, December 13th, the U.S. and Chinese governments have agreed in principle to phase one of a trade agreement. The Chinese government will…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter to the President on World Trade Organization Appellate Body
Dear Mr. President: The World Trade Organization (WTO) Appellate Body will cease to function on December 10 when terms of two of the remaining three…
Blog
Competitive Enterprise Institute Opposes USMCA Trade Agreement
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) today announced its opposition to the USMCA trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada because the updated agreement…
News Release
CEI Opposes USMCA
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) today announced its opposition to the USMCA agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The Hill
The British Election Will Show the Undeniable Power of Nationalism
My home town of South Shield in the northeast of England last elected a Tory as its member of Parliament in 1834. Now the conservative…
Inside Sources
Solar Gets Partial Reprieve From Tariffs on Imports
Inside Sources cites senior fellow Ryan Young on the solar industry: “China protects its solar makers,” said Ryan Young, a senior fellow at…
News Release
USMCA Economic Impact Almost too Small to Measure
Today, the White House and House Democrats have reportedly reached a deal on terms for a trade deal between the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. But…
News Release
President Trump Should Walk Back New Steel, Aluminum Tariffs against Brazil, Argentina
President Trump this morning announced via Twitter that he is imposing steel and aluminum tariffs against Brazil and Argentina. Tariffs won’t help farmers or manufacturers,…
Washington Examiner
Losing the Ex-Im Bank Battle Could Lead to a Victory in the War Against It
As flashpoint issues go, the Export-Import Bank is an unlikely candidate. And yet, here we are.
Citation
USMCA North American Trade Deal Solves Few Problems
The U.S. may be on the verge of a North American trade deal, but there are bigger problems with trade that Congress should fix, says…
News Release
CEI Opposes Waters Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization Bill
The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) opposes a bill authored by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) that would reauthorize Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im Bank) operations. The bill is…
Blog
Two New Studies on Economics of Trade
Philip Thompson and Lorenzo Montanari have compiled a Trade Barrier Index, just released by the Property Rights Alliance. The U.S. currently ranks 54th out of…
Blog
Trump Administration Begins Withdrawal from Paris Climate Treaty
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on November 4th that, “Today the United States began the process to withdraw from the Paris Agreement. Per the terms of…
Blog
Trade Developments on Export-Import Bank and NAFTA/USMCA
America’s trade policy landscape has some big events on the horizon. The House of Representatives will vote next week on Rep. Maxine Waters’ (D-CA) Export-Import…
Blog
Proposals for and Problems with International Drug Reference Pricing
Healthcare costs remain top of mind in American politics. Polls consistently show that healthcare is one of, if not the top, priority for voters heading into the…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Opposing APEX Act
The undersigned, dedicated to promoting free markets, limited government, and constitutional principles, write to express serious concerns about a piece of legislation known as the…
Blog
Trump Administration Challenges Constitutionality of California Climate Pacts
Just when I thought the Trump administration could not get any bolder in challenging California’s self-anointed power to determine national climate policy, the Department of…
Blog
VIDEO: How Does the Trade War Hurt You?
Our friends over at the Cato Institute are known for their excellent free-market analysis, in particular on hot button issues like trade. They recently released…
The Washington Post
Trump Finally Acknowledges his Tariffs Could Hit Consumers
The Washington Post cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on tariffs: “The decision to delay new tariffs on Chinese-made toys, smartphones, laptops and other…
U.S. News
2020 Election Hangs Over U.S.-China Trade Detente
U.S. News cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on tariffs: “The administration has been saying otherwise, but it is good to see that they…
The Times of Northwest Indiana
Will Tariffs Push U.S. Economy to the Brink of Recession?
The Times of Northwest Indiana cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on tariffs: The Competitive Enterprise Institute, in response to China’s latest tariff retaliation,…
Blog
New $7.5 Billion Tariffs against European Union
The Trump administration has announced tariffs on $7.5 billion of goods from the European Union. This time, it is being done with the World Trade…
Blog
Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization: Lesson in Institutional Design
For all its flaws, the Export-Import Bank’s charter gets an important thing right: the agency must be reauthorized every few years, or it will close.
Blog
Export-Import Bank Fight Not Over Yet
The Export-Import Bank’s charter is currently set to expire on September 30. If authorization lapses, the agency will shut down. On Thursday, the House passed…
Blog
Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization: Major Victory against Cronyism, Despite Setback
Nobel laureate economist Ronald Coase wrote in his 1975 essay “Economists and Public Policy” that “An economist who, by his efforts, is able to postpone…
Blog
Getting My Bearings in Taipei: Personally and Politically
Key Insight of the Day: While not every aspect of life in Taiwan is dominated by the relationship with the People’s Republic of China, every…
Blog
Sharing Insights and Observations from the Road: A Travelogue
This week I’m in Taiwan as a part of a delegation of free-market trade experts. I’ll write short posts for the Competitive Enterprise Institute team…
Blog
Study on Export-Import Bank: Repeal Is Best, Other Reforms Can Help
The Export-Import Bank is up for reauthorization by September 30. It should be shut down, as I’ve pointed out before, but reauthorization will almost certainly…
Blog
Trump Tariff Costs to Outweigh Benefits from Deregulation
Early in the Trump administration, a series of executive orders slowed the growth of new regulations and removed some existing rules. From the start of…
Fox Business
VIDEO: Iain Murray Discusses Trade and the G7 Summit on Varney and Co.
Competitive Enterprise Institute Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray joined Varney and Co. on Fox Business to discuss trade and President Trump at the G7…
News Release
China Tariff Retaliation Shows Failure of Trump Policy
On news that China plans to raise tariffs on Sep. 1 and Dec. 15, respectively, in retaliation for President Trump's recent increase, Competitive Enterprise Institute…
The Washington Times
Trump’s Tariff Delay on China Eases Christmas Worries, Sends Markets Higher
The Washington Times cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on tariffs: Ryan Young, a senior fellow at the free market Competitive Enterprise Institute, said…
The Washington Post
Trump Finally Acknowledges His Tariffs Could Hit Consumers
The Washington Post cites Senior Fellow Ryan Young on tariffs: “The decision to delay new tariffs on Chinese-made toys, smartphones, laptops and other…
News Release
CEI Experts: Delay on China Tariffs Shows Real Burden Is on Consumers
On news today that the US Trade Representative will delay new tariffs on some consumer items until Dec. 15, as well as exclude some products from tariffs.
Blog
Advocacy Journalism Gears up to Promote UN Climate Conference
The Columbia Journalism Review reported on July 26th that more than 60 news organizations have signed up to devote “one week of focused coverage” to the international…
News Release
Tariffs Fail to Move China, Congress Should Revoke President Trump’s Trade Authority
Tariffs fail to move China, Congress Should Revoke Pres. Trump’s Trade Authority…
Blog
Growth Slows as Tariffs Bite
Economic growth slowed in the second quarter of 2019, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. It remained above 2% thanks to a combination of…
Reason
At Least 80 Workers Are Losing Their Jobs at This Pennsylvania Steel Plant. Tariffs Are To Blame.
Reason cites Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray on the effects of tariffs. “The layoffs at NLMK were entirely predictable. Tariffs disrupt supply chains…
CGTN America
UK Ambassador to US Resigns Over Leaked Memos Controversy
CGTN America cites Vice President of Strategy Iain Murray on US-UK tensions following the resignation of the British Ambassador to the United States. “There…
CGTN America
VIDEO: Iain Murray US-UK Tensions
Vice President of Strategy Iain Murray joined CGTN America to discuss US-UK tensions following the resignation of the British Ambassador to the United States.
