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
We’re out of the Paris Agreement—again! How Trump can make it stick
On Inauguration Day (January 20, 2025), President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Agreement, the global climate treaty negotiated by the…

News Release
Delays and higher consumer prices incoming from US trade conflict with China: CEI analysis
President Trump’s ten percent tariffs on Chinese goods have been met with retaliatory tariffs by Beijing, indicating a trade war has begun. CEI’s senior economist…

Blog
Trump’s unilateral tariffs: Time for Congress to do its job
Over the weekend, President Trump announced 25 percent tariffs against Canada and Mexico, though Canadian energy imports will face a lower 10 percent rate. He…
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Blog
Americans are open to trade
Politicians win elections by telling voters what they want to hear. Right now, both parties think voters are angry about foreign trade. But when you…
Op-Eds
Tariffs Don’t Protect Jobs
Many Americans, including it seems the presidential and vice presidential nominees of the Republican Party, worry that trade costs jobs. This helps to explain why…
Comment
Request for Comment on Proposed Modifications and Exclusion Process in Section 301 Investigation
On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), we respectfully submit the following comments in response to the United States Trade Representative (USTR) Modifications and…
Blog
USTR inconsistent in their application of new tariffs
I recently made comments on the United States Trade Representative’s (USTR) latest Section 301 tariffs, specifically those imposed on facemasks and steel and…
The Hill
Biden clings to Trump’s trade policy, preventing the US from overtaking China
The U.S. has retreated from global trade leadership. China has taken its place as the foremost player in international trade. As…
Blog
More thought goes into a coffee order than tariff rates
Tariffs are the hot new trend in Washington, and neither party can get enough. In the month of May alone, the Biden administration announced new…