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
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…
Search Posts
Blog
Response to Mercatus Center’s Dan Griswold on Trade Policy
Fred Smith and Marc Scribner respond to the Mercatus Center's Dan Griswold on the free market approach to trade policy.
Blog
Deregulate to Speed Recovery from ‘Creative Destruction’ of Trade and Innovation
Government regulation limits the ability of individuals and businesses to recover from normal economic setbacks.
Blog
Financial Regulation Executive Order a Step in the Right Direction
A new White House executive order aims to redesign how financial institutions are regulated by the federal government.
Independent Journal Review
I’ve Had A Green Card Since 1999 – Trump’s Executive Order Shows The Overreach Of Presidential Power
Green card holders like me received an unwelcome present from the Trump administration this weekend. In the course of the fiasco surrounding the president’s executive…
Cleveland.com
Ohio lost 120,000+ jobs due to U.S. trade deficit with China: EPI
Cleveland.com discusses with Iain Murray a report that claims Ohio lost 121,500 jobs due to the United States’ trade deficit with China. Iain Murray…
Blog
Congress Should Eliminate SEC Rule that Discloses Company Information to Foreign Governments
Congress should pass a joint resolution of disapproval and block the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rule relating to ‘‘Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers.”…
Fox Business
A Trade Policy to Boost American Competitiveness
President Donald Trump’s early actions on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, North American Free Trade Agreement, and the nomination of avowed protectionists to key roles have shaken…
National Review
The UK Supreme Court’s Brexit Decision: Probably Right and Yet So Unnecessary
The UK’s Supreme Court has ruled that Parliament must agree to make Britain’s exit from the European Union, which the British people voted for…
Blog
Trump Moves on Trade: TPP and NAFTA
The decisions to end the failed TPP experiment and perhaps pull the plug on NAFTA may not be the disaster for free trade they seem…
News Release
Statement by CEI Expert on Why Trade Deals Got a Bad Reputation
In response to President Trump’s plans to sign an executive order withdrawing the U.S. from the negotiating process of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Competitive Enterprise Institute…
Daily Signal
Trump’s Opening Shot on Trade, Abortion, Federal Employees
The Daily Signal discusses President Trump’s executive action to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement with Iain Murray. Rather than breaking down…
Blog
Iain Murray Addresses Political Fragmentation in the EU
This afternoon our friends at the Heritage Foundation hosted a fascinating discussion of European politics with CEI Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray.
Blog
Questions Senators Should Ask Rex Tillerson
Tillerson is probably the only influential person President-elect Trump would ever nominate as Secretary of State who supports both a carbon tax and the Paris…
Blog
New York Times Misleads on U.S.-China Renewable Energy Trade
The source of demand for Chinese renewable energy exports are countries, like the U.S. and Europe, that have mandated and subsidized green energy.
Reuters
Lighthizer joins Trump trade team crowded with deal makers
Reuters discusses trade policy with Marc Scribner. “USTR will still have statutory negotiation and enforcement powers, but where the big ideas on trade…
Blog
The Future of Free Trade under a Trump Administration
My colleague Iain Murray has an excellent analysis today in Brexit Central of how a future international trade deal between the United States and a…
Brexit Central
How a US-UK free trade deal could revolutionise world trade
While the incoming Trump administration has given much of the world something to fear regarding future US trade policy, for good reason, there is a…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Western and Soviet Politics
In this episode, historian Andrew Roberts and Russian émigré Alexander Markovsky compare Western and Soviet politics.
Washington Examiner
Stop praising Castro for health and education ‘advances’
Washington Examiner discusses Fidel Castro's legacy with Hans Bader. But claims that Castro was some sort of bringer of knowledge and good health…
Financial Times
Castro Inherited Cuba’s Admired Achievements
Paul Hare notes that “Cuba’s education and healthcare are still widely admired in the developing world.” (“Castro’s Legacy Makes Cuba’s Progress Harder,” November 29). But…
CNS News
That Time Obama Promoted Myth of Excellent Health Care and Education in Cuba
In his recent remarks in Cuba, President Obama offered glowing praise to institutions in that communist country that did not deserve it. The president…
Blog
Free Market Opportunities for the Trump Administration
This election has given us one more demonstration that knowledge is dispersed and “trusting the experts” to know the future is foolish. The unexpected success…
Brexit Central
The Trump Presidency could mean a world trade war but Congress may push a US-UK trade deal
Against all the odds, Donald Trump has just pulled off a surprising victory in the US Presidential election. Given that much of his loudest rhetoric…
Blog
Three Ways the Next President Can Help America Out
At this moment, it’s likely the presidential candidates are busy preparing for the third and final debate tonight.
Blog
Back Freedom in the Czech Republic
Here at CEI we are big fans of Czech classical liberals. We published former Czech President Vaclav Klaus’s excellent book on environmental policy,…
Blog
Export-Import Bank Supporters Dealt Setback in Congress
The Export-Import Bank’s supporters and beneficiaries very nearly scored a major victory last week. Ex-Im, as it’s called for short, was shut down for about…
Blog
When It Comes to Trade Our Leaders, Not Other Countries, Are Ripping Americans off
In recent weeks, trade has repeatedly come up in discussions and speeches by presidential candidates. Donald Trump says he would renegotiate NAFTA, while Hillary Clinton’s…
Blog
Precedent on Environmental Pacts: Treaty or “Executive Agreement”?
President Obama claims the global climate pact negotiated in Paris last December—the so-called Paris Agreement—is an executive agreement, not a treaty, hence is not subject…
The Federalist
Britain’s Economy And Politicians Bounce Back In Wake Of Brexit
The Federalist interviews Iain Murray on Britain's path forward after Brexit. Iain Murray, vice president of strategy at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, discussed…
Blog
Climate Agreement Signed: What Can The Senate Do?
Reports circulating this week predict that President Obama will unilaterally “Accept” the Paris Climate Treaty on behalf of the United States, breaking from other nations…
Forbes
Brexit Planners Should Look To The U.S. For Inspiration
In June, British voters voted to leave the European Union, whose bureaucracy had imposed alien laws and regulations on them for decades. The EU system…
Blog
Brexit: A Liberal Britain?
There is a great risk in Brexit Britain.
Blog
Brexit: What’s Next for Trade?
At the moment, Britain is still a member of the European Union, and therefore its trade arrangements are subject to the terms of the EU’s…
Blog
Brexit: What Next?
In our new and revised version of Cutting the Gordian Knot: A Roadmap for British Exit from the European Union, Rory Broomfield and I set…
Blog
RealClear Radio Hour: Brexit and Regulatory Rebellion
In this week’s episode, Julian Morris, Iain Murray, and Richard Williams make the case for Britain’s regulatory rebellion and chart the path forward from Brexit.
Blog
International Tribunal Gets Its First Big Test
The news that the Permanent Court of Arbitration acting in conjunction with the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) have ruled against…
Blog
Opportunities for the Environmental Entrepreneur
I had the honor to chair a panel and speak at the 10th ICREI conference in France on environmental issues last week. This year’s conference…
Foundation for Economic Education
The Prisoners’ Dilemma of Britain and the EU
The world economy roiled following Britain’s vote to leave the European Union. Uncertainty was the cause. Even the scope of the potential deal is unknown…
Citation
VIDEO: Iain Murray Discusses Brexit on CNBC
[VIDEO::https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7KWZ8gfVbo::aVideoStyle]…
Inside Sources
Brexit Vote Is the End of the Beginning
In the end, it wasn’t close. People had been expecting a clear win for the Remain side in the popular vote on whether Britain should…
USA Today
United Kingdom votes for ‘Brexit,’ toppling government, crashing markets
USA Today reports on Britain's decision to leave the European Union with Iain Murray. Iain Murray, vice president for strategy at the Competitive…
WMAL
[AUDIO] WMAL Interviews Iain Murray on Brexit
National Review
Britain’s Time for Choosing
I’ve steered clear of opining here about tomorrow’s Brexit vote as so many others have been doing such a good job of it, like…
Blog
Interchange Debate Rears Its Head in Canada
The debate over the effects of interchange fees (the charges a bank levies on a merchant when one its customers uses a credit or debit…
Blog
Huge Questions Remain in Brexit Debate
It is now looking as if the June 23rd vote on whether Britain will leave or remain in the European Union is too close to…
Blog
Export-Import Bank Drama Continues
The Senate’s main business right now is the annual Defense Appropriations bill. The Export-Import Bank, or Ex-Im for short, might become part of that bill.
Blog
The Senate Must Confront the President on the Paris Climate Treaty
On Friday April 22, Earth Day, the White House will purport to commit the United States to the Paris Climate Agreement. The Obama administration claims…
Blog
The Truth about the Trade Deficit
This election cycle the issue of the trade deficit has been a topic of great debate, with front-running candidates suggesting that the deficit is an…
Blog
President Obama Promotes Myth of Excellent Health Care and Education in Cuba
In his recent remarks in Cuba, President Obama offered glowing praise to institutions in that communist country that did not deserve it. The president called Cuba’s…
Daily Caller
Trade With The Cuban People, Not Castro, Inc.
Libertarians have long argued that lifting the Cuban embargo, allowing free trade to flourish with the Cuban people, would do more to bring down the…
