[CTC] ICYMI: Various statements on tariffs

Mon Apr 7 06:27:04 PDT 2025

https://usw.org/press-release/usw-tariffs-must-be-paired-with-wider-trade-policy-reform/ <https://usw.org/press-release/usw-tariffs-must-be-paired-with-wider-trade-policy-reform/> 

April 2, 2025
USW: Tariffs Must be Paired with Wider Trade Policy Reform
Contact: Jess Kamm Broomell, jkamm at usw.org <mailto:jkamm at usw.org>, 412-562-2444
(Pittsburgh) – United Steelworkers (USW) International President David McCall <https://usw.org/leadership/david-mccall/> issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s announcement that his administration will implement a wide array of tariffs:
“Our union has been fighting on the front lines for fair trade for decades as flawed trade agreements and other policies robbed workers of their jobs and deprived our nation of critical capabilities across key sectors.  
“Used strategically, tariffs are a crucial means of reining in bad actors who view access to the U.S. market as a right, not a privilege. Today’s announcement helps send the message to our trading partners that they must earn that right.
“Tariffs, however, are only one of the many tools we need to promote fair trade and reverse course on outsourcing and offshoring jobs.
“First and foremost, we must ensure our trade policy targets cheaters rather than trusted economic allies like Canada. We should be working to build relationships – not barriers – with partners who have proven their commitment to joining us in tackling global overcapacity.
“Tariffs must also be paired with policies that will increase domestic production and jobs, like strategic investments, strong procurement standards, and labor laws that boost workers’ access to labor unions. The administration must also take steps to prevent companies from using tariffs as an excuse to price-gouge consumers.
“We welcome the administration’s commitment to fair trade and encourage President Trump to consider a broader strategy that will level the playing field and promote widespread economic growth.”
The USW <https://usw.org/press-release/usw-tariffs-must-be-paired-with-wider-trade-policy-reform/usw.org> represents 850,000 workers employed in metals, mining, pulp and paper, rubber, chemicals, glass, auto supply and the energy-producing industries, along with a growing number of workers in health care, public sector, higher education, tech and service occupations.
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https://www.goiam.org/news/imail/iam-union-u-s-canadian-workers-still-waiting-to-have-voice-in-tariff-trade-policy/ <https://www.goiam.org/news/imail/iam-union-u-s-canadian-workers-still-waiting-to-have-voice-in-tariff-trade-policy/>

IAM Union: U.S., Canadian Workers Still Waiting to Have Voice in Tariff, Trade Policy

WASHINGTON, April 2, 2025 – Brian Bryant, International President of the IAM Union (International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers), representing 600,000 workers, and David Chartrand, IAM Canadian General Vice President, issued a statement on President Trump’s tariffs announcement: 

“We must confront the legacy of trade policies and tariff rollouts that treat workers as pawns. Today’s tariffs announcement will erode relationships and diminish human dignity and respect for workers across North America. 

“Imposing tariffs on Canada would be like cutting off our nose to spite our face. 

“The IAM Union will continue to speak out against this short-sighted trade war and fight for a comprehensive, long-term strategy that strengthens manufacturing and prioritizes the interests of U.S. and Canadian workers.” 

The International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers is one of North America’s largest and most diverse industrial trade unions, representing approximately 600,000 active and retired members in the aerospace, defense, airlines, railroad, transit, healthcare, automotive, and other industries. 

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https://www.goiam.org/news/imail/trump-tariffs-on-canada-jeopardize-aerospace-defense-and-manufacturing-sectors-while-threatening-national-security/ <https://www.goiam.org/news/imail/trump-tariffs-on-canada-jeopardize-aerospace-defense-and-manufacturing-sectors-while-threatening-national-security/>

Trump Tariffs on Canada Jeopardize Aerospace, Defense, and Manufacturing Sectors While Threatening National Security

April 1, 2025

Brian Bryant, International President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), representing 600,000 workers, and David Chartrand, IAM Canadian General Vice President, today issued a strong rebuke of President Trump’s tariffs, warning of severe economic consequences and job losses across the United States and Canada:

“President Trump’s scatter-shot tariffs are a direct assault on American and Canadian workers. They will destabilize critical sectors like aerospace and manufacturing, jeopardizing hundreds of thousands of jobs and undermining national security.

“These tariffs will not bring our jobs home. They will raise prices on everything. They will wreck our supply chains on both sides of the border. And they will put our members’ jobs at risk.

“For decades, we have witnessed the erosion of millions of well-paying, high-skilled U.S. and Canadian jobs as corporations outsourced production to countries with lax labor standards. The administration’s trade policies will accelerate this decline, outsourcing thousands of IAM Union aerospace and defense jobs into low-wage positions. 

“We cannot stand idly by while reckless policies destroy our supply chains, destabilize economies, and imperil the livelihoods of tens of thousands of workers, including over 100,000 aerospace workers across both nations. This administration’s isolationist approach ignores the interconnected nature of the U.S. and Canadian economies and national security.

“Our union continues to emphasize the urgent need for a collaborative and strategic approach to tariffs. This approach must involve government, business, and labor unions and develop a comprehensive strategy that strengthens and expands critical sectors in the U.S. and Canada. 

“Workers must be part of the solution to ensure that trade policies benefit our communities, not multinational corporations seeking to exploit cheap labor abroad.

“The IAM Union pledges to fight against these harmful tariffs, vowing to prevent a repeat of past trade failures that resulted in widespread economic devastation and increased risks to national security.

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Press Contact: Jimmy Wyderko, jwyderko at economicliberties.us <mailto:jwyderko at economicliberties.us> 

Tariffs Can Be a Vital Tool to Rebalance U.S. Trade, but Trump Must Act Immediately to Stop Corporations from Using New Tariffs as Cover to Price-Gouge

Washington, D.C. – Today, as the Trump administration announced its tariffs plan, American Economic Liberties Project’s Rethink Trade Director, Lori Wallach, released this statement:

“The businesses that profiteered from our old broken trade system should pay for the necessary transition to more balanced trade, not American workers and consumers. President Trump must take immediate action to stop corporations from using the pretext of these tariffs to price-gouge the very Americans already slammed by decades of bad trade policy and corporate greed.

Trump’s announcement goes much broader, but tariffs against mercantilist countries like China, Germany, Korea, Taiwan, and Japan to counter systemic trade abuses can help restore America’s capacity to produce more of the critical products needed for American families to be healthy and safe and for our country to be more resilient and secure. But to deliver more American production and good jobs, the goal must be to balance trade, not equalize tariff rates, and tariffs must be consistent. Tariffs must be accompanied by other industrial policies like tax credits to build demand for U.S.-made goods, incentives for investment in new production capacity and bans on stock buybacks, and easier union formation so gains go to wages, not just profits.”

BACKGROUND:
Since 1975, the United States has had a trade deficit every year, which has deindustrialized the country and increased income inequality as economic theory would predict.Read our memo here <https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___https:/link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.OMdVzV-2FN-2FjMvjjQtI3xB4ks3-2Finx4DQ3WxC7rutwIVYWtLFQe0D1f-2FasIHfPzhv3mx0Ong3vGwgOZCLrfDl3lc4Gx3FNBGdSbjO8NclKZmMNRK9LDPfu4uMki-2BJpLV82l3kkes-2FKu1UWMdlQgPPtBvK7F-2Bq6ZzYgavFkSD8R8xpHHiXbVUxa3-2FEVCX8GQGMMKupvVjsMBMZgy9e3Y0D51skiRKBNYNQStzpmRPwiWJD5MlOdwHi6bD2xlonPnWSp9wQQGlPAj9sgjLNlvGdrQFZYqHvTwR1fQdKreb0owXfze5iRx-2BYdB3h4gzQAvXtgTP-2BF6m1pKMsgKuEk6FEUBXh0fi-2FPfKGHwXUPchH1AzX5Z75egSlyrTVYMvOUU98KejIq7fuIgokT4hHRgwiju1uN70-2F25IkCEKU7Q7rKcFq-2Fwq7sh63HeP567YPFtvY00ouT_oM7GKyPgU6VXhmS-2BmIhmKvQCQuZs8aRfSyghYq8AWldu-2FXcyce3RbPHGpNa-2BGY0qzWnY0eSjL0GO9UyxVT4W2EnK53fa7RMJpaxShI-2B66uv8g70OlcJ36NWz3TfQ30H3gzuifwmzA-2FPadzCi0eOa4xaT8FeiTAeMbtjDknR5ebCFqMz7ZxabTHSWDBLQ-2FrOMZmmA11TORq-2BLW0BXuO23IzJ4OPG1inG2SSBkGqz-2F8as4KvaS-2FyWFRvZCCh5qhRLVqkF5uEbznCsu-2B9sAjcoukbxRP7i2nudYKFwzqSazxD2Ba2Sk66SpulQJw-2BFQArB3enVNfjyk7X-2BJhEpGHQJ3vk2td9stZ8Lf6eK8ciWGeRVBMzWkDNnn9Ap9Z6rO6Wm1___.YzJ1OmFlbHBlY29ub21pY2xpYmVydGllczpjOm86M2QzZGI1MTRhNDQ1ZDk5YzBjOWQzODgyZDdkZDAyMzI6Nzo1ZjM1OjE2NTUzM2RhNzU4YTExZmY2OTc0ZjA5MjgyNzE1YWQ1YWYyMmNmNWQwYjBhZmE2NzY1NTM2MmI1ZTg0NjE2OTQ6aDpUOkY> on how tariffs can help rebalance trade and which countries have chronic deficits and surpluses.

Price gouging is when corporations use a shock as an excuse to jack up prices over and above their rising costs. To ensure corporations do not use the cover of tariffs to further raise prices on Americans, President Trump should call on the FTC to:
Use its authority under FTC Act Section 6(b) to require large corporations to report their costs to the FTC, so that the FTC can expose when they are jacking up prices over and above rising costs.
Use its authority over “unfair or deceptive acts or practices in or affecting commerce” (UDAP) to investigate and prosecute any price gouging that occurs.
Many states already use their “mini-FTC Act” unfair or deceptive acts and practices authorities to address price gouging. The FTC should similarly use every tool it has to stop price gouging.

Read Wallach’s recent pieces on tariffs and balanced trade in The American Prospect <https://protect.checkpoint.com/v2/r01/___https:/link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.OMdVzV-2FN-2FjMvjjQtI3xB4ks3-2Finx4DQ3WxC7rutwIVYWtLFQe0D1f-2FasIHfPzhv3kJpu8UKDi8-2FvFWxHC1udmCgbPRhoFeKNDPJRiIoCvR64tcxQkI-2B0vEqSnIRawPLebCFMo9tFO0E63FPg25AvIkamAWg1qj-2FqGnGqvgppiDIfZGoEc2PdlOJRYuECq5d4J-2BvjTPCf6muxrJf0aR7Z57x1Pmy-2BPPe-2F-2BppMxNXkCvztSXhqaEqcBHNOuhYRr5OQn0d5IOm2WBm30ljxSk4V3He2lAt8cSJaIjot8dCLt9FyBDjWnE1V8zM6rzjNB-2FbJkELwOKZPvPM0cP48CFz3Pxp78bh10RGD9K1f2aTjs6XfOqheuZFIjgStoif1cqqZeMUiCfLZlflhlu8rccvEE8RIenYUoDtB8bG8znQTj6LlyeZpc1c1dRTuqEqY9zukckmaZtSU-2FLQ4UXzDHY3pqE8BPcPrZHZvWCIlOFGsYEprQt5uZP6mNvAj587qdUNbl4ujnsOFJ-2BofsjsiIhDdV9DX4PhOIC2CUMztaIe2-2B3uhLg-2B9jE-2BMvIonW4MaRNRlVqBN-2ByJP4L5wbJE0n1D5dtz4mVxrlNTKBA3Wk0oQjioJpIBIeig7w0Y9NqkmbC58GP-2B9T9JGxn4lf7i18hzL-2B0wy5azBnDT5vdiHH13zr2PYOk-2FkpEyB4G8m1CbT6no0Cb-2B-2BJh528XJZ129CD7kVdvZrzOFwwvehWRCiLAjveVt3-2BM67uNvmfwLX3rpAEwK4zpZmjEEj6mLoV8W-2BRUPAvYusAxpAjEEomtHkWRAV-2FDxpyB7RuzGlQ7w67H4viDOxPgED4-2FhTh696euEYUKIlM-2BpVVvpuY-2F4mTun0NjB2sTwuphuauElqjgwEphwa1jW7T6TW25MIS9P8W4ac2j-2BuoloGfcLwgEgHDw0pdkx8Y-2Beaq3Eq5nGgXlzTjnOvqHCCxhoGmUnKbkjC6oXvGNUQ0eexhDEhggtHSie-2FRsxapY6YnzYPbOcwbP7LC5SqQ08mTC3YvbVISOh25Zzs1ZcgPzFH1X1WSMPytjnwZVg44ZGyWNaeI6Ad8LagWU1C2STBDAHbG2iv5jSfT8Quwyi0cp-2BXMB0e2duJ-2Fq7-2BMMHfD-2BQ-3DfDES_oM7GKyPgU6VXhmS-2BmIhmKvQCQuZs8aRfSyghYq8AWldu-2FXcyce3RbPHGpNa-2BGY0qzWnY0eSjL0GO9UyxVT4W2EnK53fa7RMJpaxShI-2B66uv8g70OlcJ36NWz3TfQ30H3gzuifwmzA-2FPadzCi0eOa4xaT8FeiTAeMbtjDknR5ebCFqMz7ZxabTHSWDBLQ-2FrOMZmmA11TORq-2BLW0BXuO23IzJ4OPG1inG2SSBkGqz-2F8asOjHYxTiKBC8smkd9YhsvaqXil2FLMsaznD1j4CsBfj8FqOYLaOz7dkZ-2FeRXlPZxG6yAUWYpFY7wtFcAvWxKQUdYWuyct4V97YcwCuYWT-2FheSIgIYxdpSpj3dmfWeEpR1uHjjA-2BHrAwOp1npGgouto___.YzJ1OmFlbHBlY29ub21pY2xpYmVydGllczpjOm86M2QzZGI1MTRhNDQ1ZDk5YzBjOWQzODgyZDdkZDAyMzI6NzplNGE2OmI5ZDMzODI5Nzg1YTliZjllYTg3ZTM2Mzc3YjdjYmE3NGM4Mjg0ZDk0OGYyMTllMjA5MjQ2NTVhYmVjNzJmZTc6aDpUOkY> and Project Syndicate <https://link.mediaoutreach.meltwater.com/ls/click?upn=u001.OMdVzV-2FN-2FjMvjjQtI3xB4ks3-2Finx4DQ3WxC7rutwIVYWtLFQe0D1f-2FasIHfPzhv3kJpu8UKDi8-2FvFWxHC1udmCgbPRhoFeKNDPJRiIoCvR64tcxQkI-2B0vEqSnIRawPLebCFMo9tFO0E63FPg25AvIkamAWg1qj-2FqGnGqvgppiDIsWzrSSgLUHGIZwIVq-2FEnknFGfb1WmBmPSt4vVL6idfQYLBY2C4JP1XIpanouTOBUSM1TikBf9lccvps5WPwahtStN951DK3fmn7EkWEweAPA1WUmQ40gI4iqOZuoGn28uSFDHC7piF0u88ouMS4uvVVmcTr9AeNOLk-2BcxlNCbdE5w-2BsJcFAKOMa2kHj2AiVLnvPLQ1yo0yDs2QE9zy1KH8O104JZcws6ysQXKej9B9J7M-2BcORDwyDOI28JSLTvXeDn4HIzHPx7aFscRS6UGKNqAmD8Gkv2dIPNpvI-2F-2BG3lBrHctoJr3Llq3nglcDrPRPXPgushTHJlgD2Yas90LxiQ6Wd-2Fiiwls95Rn6rMXqeNsCYy3MSx9TggMKXJUqwHhmu145j7i0hZw-2BC9Y4cCBPCZKrjm-2B2uu8BoUMkLCluIq2B-2BQW1ajLg8pJbq-2FS4xAQRfjLDpv1ecDTCQ-2BfV5XOUKSc9wYoymPNJwcXW-2BY64H6Q1Dnld7DCLJSQutWgGs7Yru6pBywIRVaEU6YnnCcyFJ8s-2F22lUUbnSYTaQXkq1Xu3zwYm9BID96K-2FLq5ikxb0nblRVmeCBvN6wu1W1xF1Woug9v26EA3CWx8CmkAtdWVl-2BGghIloN0E1jKpnujZ-2FGsr8z3X-2BkAB1r1s7vazn38un-2BeHLsmZGYG0Uv1JAG6AZTAJjNvDZxc8g7BGrevJCCN-2B-2FzV2RVaUXKuh-2FsJNiI0a5dBjBLCA6xo0SkCgVXKVaWc9mIlGW-2BnvULDMFLakRrfT4gmo1WXLUCtEQrwLeKnuJUuC3hMHE-2F2QSRsBuRwfHo5M4maBrSoZzHlcj-2Fj-2FQKP0hZ40f4zAfd30opcHJe9NSN0dSOWkIiTnDjLA-2FTRCDQA-2B-2Ft48UsixqZVy98-2FCxSE-2BwyagH1ScGOT7DQ1LnkCJqLVALc48M0kxPHDEUn-2B-2BTgceWIj-2BQXNj5Wp9RvfI0ktGp6EnDSwPlRfBdwX5Gmu45J4OWNSULg2cITEz150DYUTwZngHgHgPPPitkkxYr8Y-3D3N8B_oM7GKyPgU6VXhmS-2BmIhmKvQCQuZs8aRfSyghYq8AWldu-2FXcyce3RbPHGpNa-2BGY0qzWnY0eSjL0GO9UyxVT4W2EnK53fa7RMJpaxShI-2B66uv8g70OlcJ36NWz3TfQ30H3gzuifwmzA-2FPadzCi0eOa4xaT8FeiTAeMbtjDknR5ebCFqMz7ZxabTHSWDBLQ-2FrOMZmmA11TORq-2BLW0BXuO23IzJ4OPG1inG2SSBkGqz-2F8avAi6CQiF4om9tjv5aAD71Rickgjv70o5UgE5kbaki-2Fo38a-2F0KowgRii3W0XEJvAnMyHsF5fIs1dJDbWO8dXfZumtSlNLiYnBydXjnZHSwxRJ-2FTrP1PTDmduZ1C6pIzXxilGsC8KhdGQ3WEzxFuC2Un> to learn more. 
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The American Economic Liberties Project works to ensure America’s system of commerce is structured to advance, rather than undermine, economic liberty, fair commerce, and a secure, inclusive democracy. Economic Liberties believes true economic liberty means entrepreneurs and businesses large and small succeed on the merits of their ideas and hard work; commerce empowers consumers, workers, farmers, and engineers instead of subjecting them to discrimination and abuse from financiers and monopolists; foreign trade arrangements support domestic security and democracy; and wealth is broadly distributed to support equitable political power.

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https://www.iatp.org/tariff-mayhem?utm_source=IATP+Full+List&utm_campaign=b544c2a52a-MARCH_NEWS_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3f024f9ff8-b544c2a52a-63588857 <https://www.iatp.org/tariff-mayhem?utm_source=IATP+Full+List&utm_campaign=b544c2a52a-MARCH_NEWS_18_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_3f024f9ff8-b544c2a52a-63588857>

Tariff mayhem: A shortcut to higher prices, fewer jobs, and broken friendships

Sophia Murphy
 <https://www.iatp.org/about/staff/sophia-murphy>
Apr 1, 2025
Love them or hate them, there is no getting around how tariffs work <https://www.iatp.org/trade-basics-tariffs-101> — the country that imposes them pays for them. To repeat what is rapidly becoming household knowledge across the United States: tariffs are a tax imposed on goods as they enter a country. The tariff is collected by the government in the importing country and paid by the importing firm. Which means, ultimately, tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump have a cost for those of us who live here.  

Tariffs reduce supply, which tends to raise prices. Companies with sufficient market power may raise prices even beyond what the tariffs themselves cost, taking advantage of the situation, as happened during the COVID pandemic <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/27/us/coronavirus-price-gouging-hand-sanitizer-masks-wipes.html>. Brace yourselves for higher prices: the president is promising a big wave of new tariffs this week, to be announced on April 2.  

Although President Trump and his cabinet speak excitedly about tariffs’ potential contribution to government revenues, that is not their primary effect. Tariffs contributed just 1.6% of U.S. government revenue <https://www.voronoiapp.com/trade/Tariffs-as-a-Share-of-US-Government-Revenue-4012> in 2024. Especially at rates of 10% and 25%, which are the levels the president is proposing, tariffs are most likely to discourage trade altogether, not make the Treasury rich.  

Raising tariffs obviously hurts the foreign producers who sell their exports to the United States. Just the threat of tariffs on the scale that President Trump proposes can send exporters looking for alternative markets, prompting a reorganization of value chains and a search for new trade partners. This all takes time and costs money — Canada is furious (and scared) for a reason. Although Mexico has been quieter in public, their economy is no less threatened by President Trump’s determination to make imports cost more. Our neighbors will be the poorer for this policy.  

But so will we. In Minnesota, nearly half of exports went to either Canada or Mexico <https://www.mnchamber.com/blog/north-america-fuels-minnesotas-trade-growth#:~:text=Minnesota's%20top%20exports%20to%20Canada,and%20machinery%20(%24862%20M)> in 2024. Even just a threat of tariff hikes has an economic impact. Tariff talk provokes trade partners to respond — the most common reaction to a unilateral tariff increase such as those ordered by the president is for the affected trade partner to impose counter-tariffs. Among the three countries singled out for the highest tariff increases by the Trump administration — China, Canada and Mexico — both Canada and China have announced retaliatory tariffs while Mexico seems to be taking a more “wait and see" approach. Trade relationships are not made overnight, but they can end abruptly, as U.S. wine and liquor exporters are learning <https://www.ft.com/content/adaa8ffe-349d-45d9-b976-fa8439828532>. Big tariff increases break relationships, especially if they are announced without negotiation and backed by threats. Canada’s new Prime Minister, Mark Carney, said on Thursday <https://thehill.com/policy/international/5218631-mark-carney-on-trump-tariffs-old-canada-us-relationship-is-over/>, that the close relationship Canada and the U.S. has enjoyed for more than a century is “over.”  

When tariffs are imposed and withdrawn without consultation or warning, they discourage investment and reduce competitiveness in the economy using the tariffs. In turn, that prompts slower job creation. Economic forecasts show this happening in the United States.  

When the new administration took power, the economy was set for growth with relatively low unemployment and low inflation. This past week, as differing statements on tariffs succeeded one after another, economic forecasts have turned more pessimistic. U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell predicted  <https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/fed-sees-higher-inflation-and-slower-u-s-economy-due-to-uncertainty-tied-to-trump-tariffs/ar-AA1Bg21E>significantly slower growth and higher inflation, while Austan Goolsbee, President and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, warned <https://www.ft.com/content/09fb6138-d626-40f6-b93b-b955e9c39a7a> that inflation expectations risk becoming self-fulfilling as an increasing number of consumers and businesses appear to believe higher inflation is inevitable and are acting accordingly. Some economists predict the U.S. could be headed for a recession. 

In targeting Canada, China and Mexico, the president has picked the three biggest agricultural trading partners of the United States. Minnesota’s agriculture sector alone sends $10 billion of goods abroad, over half of which are corn, soybeans and their byproducts <https://www.mda.state.mn.us/sites/default/files/docs/2023-03/MNagexport2023-1pg.pdf>. Yet as they learned during the first Trump administration, farmers are particularly vulnerable to trade wars. Then, farmers saw soybean exports to China shrivel in response to the counter-tariffs China imposed in response to U.S. tariffs on Chinese steel imports. Those counter-tariffs resulted in a 75% fall in U.S. soy exports to China and prompted a federal bailout of $23 billion in public money <https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/31/us/politics/farmers-bailouts-trump-tariffs.html> for affected farmers. The lost markets have not been recovered.  

IATP argues Midwest farms must diversify away from corn and soybeans. We want to see fairer markets for producers, and regulation force cost-internalization of the big environmental and social costs imposed by monocrop export agriculture. But that is a strategy that needs time to implement, and transitional investment. The transition our food systems need will be all the harder if farmers start in a financial hole. 

The government could be harnessing one of tariffs’ predictable dynamic effects: increased domestic production and sales. This outcome is one that many U.S. farm organizations would support: tariffs in support of fair market prices and stronger local purchasing systems. Were the tariffs predictable, this strategy could use tariffs judiciously to protect a supply for consumers who want better working conditions in agriculture, stronger animal welfare rules, and far less environmental damage (all of which are huge problems in U.S. food systems).  

Tragically, at the same time as the president has created so much turmoil for farmers with tariffs, his administration has slashed support to hugely successful if still emergent local food economies across the country. Last month, USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins defended her decision to cut over $1 billion <https://www.iatp.org/trump-admin-cuts-local-food-funding> that had been appropriated for a nationwide program of support to resilient local food programs. She is reported to have said the program was “nonessential” and, absurdly, added the programs had been about “food justice for trans people in New York and San Francisco.” Her statement was offensive. It was also wrong. Hunter College reports <https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/states-with-universal-free-school-meals-so-far-update/> that 35 states have passed or considered legislation to establish free school meals in the state for every school child in the past two years. The need and demand for access to more and better food is nationwide.

The emerging web of markets for local foods meets a series of public interest goals, including public health, education and rural economic revitalization. IATP will continue to protect and promote these resilient regional food systems. They model the kind of market relationships that we want to see in international trade too. We will continue to amplify public demand for investment in fair markets, healthy food and clean production, and to develop trade policy that raises the quality of what we grow, sell, buy and consume, whether at home or abroad. 
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https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-s-tariffs-are-extremely-dumb-just-not-for-the-reasons-you-might-think <https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/trump-s-tariffs-are-extremely-dumb-just-not-for-the-reasons-you-might-think>

Trump's Tariffs Are Extremely Dumb, Just Not For The Reasons You Might Think
Our global trade system is broken, but Trump’s tariffs are not the answer
By Iza Camarillo, 
4/4/25

On April 2, Donald Trump <https://www.commondreams.org/tag/donald-trump> declared a national emergency and announced sweeping tariffs <https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/regulating-imports-with-a-reciprocal-tariff-to-rectify-trade-practices-that-contribute-to-large-and-persistent-annual-united-states-goods-trade-deficits/> on nearly all imported goods. The headlines were dramatic — tariffs on China, allies like Canada and Mexico, and everything from cars to coffee beans. His administration framed the move as a patriotic stance for “reciprocal trade” and economic sovereignty.

Don’t be fooled. This isn’t the collapse of “free trade.” It’s the continuation of corporate globalization — just with a MAGA bumper sticker slapped on it.

Trump says he’s standing up for American workers. But he’s the same president who signed the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) and called it “the fairest, most balanced, and beneficial trade agreement we have ever signed into law.” <https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-usmca-celebration-american-workers-warren-mi/> The rebranded North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) deal — despite some improvements forced in by congressional Democrats and civil society organizations — contained much of the same structural rot that has enabled outsourcing, empowered monopolies, and tied the hands of governments trying to protect their people and environment.

Trump is not rejecting the corporate trade model. He’s weaponizing it.

For decades, “free trade” deals like NAFTA locked in rules written by and for multinational corporations: rules that made offshoring easier, gutted environmental protections, and prioritized investor rights over worker rights. Stagnant wages, emptied factory towns, and rising income inequality have caused widespread pain and frustration among working Americans — which Trump has weaponized again and again.

Tariffs can be part of the answer to these problems, but Trump’s ham-handed approach ain’t it. There’s no industrial strategy. No labor plan. No climate protections. Just a unilateral, top-down stunt that does nothing to dismantle the corporate architecture still rigging the global economy.

Pair this “concept of a plan” with the rest of his agenda: gutting investment in vital sectors such as biomedical research, support for basic science and clean and affordable energy technologies and products; slashing all efforts to combat child labor and other egregious labor rights violations around the world, providing tax cuts for billionaires and corporations; stripping away health care, food support and other vital services for the most vulnerable Americans, undermining Social Security, and decertifying and undermining the power of labor unions.

It’s clear working people will not be the winners here.

Who Wrote the Rules? U.S. Corporations, Not Foreign Adversaries

Trump loves to blame other countries, claiming global trade has “looted, pillaged, raped, and plundered” the U.S. economy in his “Liberation Day” speech. He claims that the U.S. has been victimized by other countries and has been “too nice” in response.

Nothing could be further from the truth — the rules of the neoliberal trade system were rigged in favor of large corporate interests in the Global North. While workers in the U.S. and around the world were the losers, Wall Street, Big Tech, Big Ag, Big Pharma, and other U.S. corporate giants have always been the winners.

For decades, U.S. corporate lobbyists have used their privileged access <https://rethinktrade.org/ustr-advisors/> to closed-door trade negotiations to rig the rules to maximize their profits, not to serve working people, small businesses, or the environment.

They pushed for extreme intellectual property rules to entrench Big Pharma monopolies that keep the price of medicines sky high, with deadly consequences. They demanded open capital markets and deregulated financial flows for Wall Street while securing rules that let agribusiness giants flood foreign markets with subsidized U.S. commodities, displacing millions of farmers <https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/NAFTA-Factsheet_Mexico-Legacy_Oct-2019.pdf> and leading to forced migration.

Trade justice requires more than poorly designed tariffs. It demands systemic reform: binding labor rights, climate protections, resilient supply chains, and democratic accountability. Trump offers none of that.

At the same time, they ensured that governments couldn’t support domestic industries, raise labor standards, or enforce environmental protections without being accused of “trade distortion.” The result was a race to the bottom <https://www.epi.org/blog/naftas-impact-workers/> for workers and communities — here and abroad — with record profits for corporate giants.

It matters a lot that Trump is identifying the wrong perpetrators of the failed global trade system because that sets the table for wrong solutions.

Once we identify multinational corporations as the architects of the current system, we’re directed toward the right solutions – not blanket, high tariffs based on mindless formulas, but a new trade policy and new trade rules that prioritize the interests of workers, consumers, and the environment.

NAFTA to USMCA: Same Corporate Model With Some Improvements (No Thanks to Trump)
Trump spent years railing against NAFTA as the “worst trade deal anybody in history has ever entered into,” <https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/politics/trump-calls-nafta-one-of-the-worst-deals-anybody-in-history-has-ever-entered-into/2017/08/29/ad994864-8827-11e7-96a7-d178cf3524eb_video.html> tapping into the legitimate grievances of workers and communities harmed by its race to the bottom. He campaigned on a promise to eliminate it and replace it with a better agreement for workers.

However, once elected, he opted to renegotiate and rebrand the deal in the form of the USMCA, which he then insisted was “the best trade deal in history.” Now, in a dizzying reversal, he’s claiming the USMCA has been a disaster that only an aggressive wave of “retaliatory” tariffs on Canada and Mexico will fix.

In reality <https://www.citizen.org/article/timeline-whats-the-story-with-the-new-nafta/>, while some improvements were forced into the negotiation, the USMCA largely preserved the core logic that made NAFTA so harmful in the first place. It expands corporate rights, limits democratic oversight, and undermines public protections in the name of increased trade.

The new labor provisions — often cited as proof of a “new era” in trade — were not original features of Trump’s deal <https://www.citizen.org/wp-content/uploads/nafta_2.0_text_analysis.pdf>. They were won through months of intense organizing and negotiation by House Democrats, labor unions, and civil society groups.

Congressional Democrats working in close alliance with the AFL-CIO drew a hard line. Backed by the relentless organizing of groups like Public Citizen <https://www.commondreams.org/tag/public-citizen>, the Communications Workers of America, United Steelworkers, and a transnational coalition of Mexican and Canadian labor and civil society partners, they made it clear: they would block passage of any deal unless meaningful labor enforcement were included and damaging Big Pharma giveaways <https://www.citizen.org/article/fact-sheet-big-pharma-rigged-the-revised-nafta-to-keep-drug-prices-high/> were removed.

Trump’s administration favored language that preserved corporate prerogatives and offered only symbolic nods to labor rights. Still, in the end, it acquiesced to congressional Democrats’ demands. It incorporated essential tools like the facility-specific Rapid Response Mechanism for labor enforcement and eliminated some of the most egregious giveaways to Big Pharma.

However, the structural rot from NAFTA remained.

While experts across the ideological spectrum lauded the drastic reduction of controversial investor privileges that allow corporations to sue governments over public interest laws through investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), Trump preserved ISDS for fossil fuel firms operating in Mexico — a carve-out aggressively pushed by Big Oil <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-energy-202/2018/10/03/the-energy-202-big-oil-and-gas-companies-are-winners-in-trump-s-new-trade-deal/5bb39b531b326b7c8a8d17cc/>.

Agribusiness also retained its arsenal. The ongoing U.S. trade challenge to Mexico’s restrictions on genetically modified corn <https://www.iatp.org/documents/understanding-agricultural-biotechnology-provisions-us-mexico-canada-agreement> — measures rooted in precautionary health standards and cultural preservation — reveal the deal’s true intent. Rather than respecting national policy space over food safety, trade rules are once again being deployed to dismantle domestic protections at the behest of corporations <https://on.ft.com/3EL4szR>.

Not only did Trump fail to fix NAFTA <https://www.citizen.org/article/making-nafta-worse-giveaways-for-big-tech/>, but he made it even worse in at least one crucial way: Big Tech secured its wishlist in the form of a digital trade chapter. These new terms undermine the ability of U.S. states, Congress, and other countries’ governments to hold Big Tech accountable for gender and racial bias in AI, rampant abuse of our privacy, and monopolistic overreach.

Performative “Protectionism” and the Authoritarian Trade Playbook

Far from dismantling the corporate trade regime, Trump’s first term revealed him as a loyal steward of it — so long as he could plaster his name on it. Despite the USMCA rebrand, he left the core NAFTA structure intact and continued to stoke public anger over working people’s struggles — not by confronting the root causes but by scapegoating other nations. And he has been increasingly employing tariff threats as his weapon of choice — not in pursuit of justice but as a blunt instrument of control.

Just weeks ago, Trump threatened new tariffs unless Mexico deployed troops to militarize the border <https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/mexican-troops-deployed-border-part-deal-pause-us-tariffs-2025-02-04/>. He pressured Colombia to accept a deportation flight of asylum seekers <https://apnews.com/article/colombia-immigration-deportation-flights-petro-trump-us-67870e41556c5d8791d22ec6767049fd>.

Big Tech companies are awaiting their handouts, as it is widely expected <https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/02/tech-tariffs-optimism-030088> that Trump will lift tariffs on countries that agree to undo tech accountability policies.

And perversely, he is using tariffs as a cudgel to pressure other countries into signing the very liberalizing trade agreements he claims to oppose.

“Liberation Day” was more of the same from this ever-more-authoritarian White House: an emergency decree bypassing Congress, escalating instability, and concentrating power in the executive. Trump hasn’t rejected the anti-democratic nature of the neoliberal trade model — he’s replicating it with a vengeance.

All Madness, No Method
While tariffs can be a useful tool, they must be transparently employed in strategic sectors for a clear purpose following careful analysis and open debate.

Trump’s tariffs, however, are based on misleading data and flawed logic. He uses exaggerated trade deficit calculations and stays silent on how the U.S. dollar’s dominance enables America to import far more than it exports, a luxury most Global South nations — burdened with debt and structural trade deficits — cannot afford.

The methodology behind these tariffs has experts scratching their heads <https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/trump-admin-tariffs/>.

Trump claimed that the “reciprocal tariffs” were derived from a detailed assessment of each country’s tariff and non-tariff barriers (more on these in a moment). In fact, the number assigned to each country seems to be based on the difference between the total value of imports the U.S. receives from a country versus the amount we export to it.

Apparently, no regard was given to why there may be a large imbalance. For example, Lesotho, which Trump dismissed as a country “nobody has ever heard of,” was hit with the highest tariff of any country at 50%. Forget the fact that the small, landlocked country’s population of 2 million may not be able to afford Made in America products, leading to a lopsided trade balance.

The crude formula used to determine each country’s “reciprocal” tariff was described by Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman <https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/will-careless-stupidity-kill-the> as something that appeared to be “thrown together by a junior staffer with only a couple of hours’ notice,” and “reads like something written by a student who hasn’t done the reading and is trying to bullshit their way through an exam.”

As some commentators have noted, this tariff breakdown is what you get if you ask ChatGPT to come up with a U.S. trade policy <https://paulkrugman.substack.com/p/will-careless-stupidity-kill-the>. This could very well be the first global economic policy written “of, by, and for” our robot overlords. What could possibly go wrong?

The Corporate Wishlist
Since the Trump administration clearly did not take on the, admittedly Herculean, task of reviewing the thousands of tariffs and trade barriers imposed by hundreds of countries, it simply used trade imbalances as a crude proxy. It’s a stand-in for the cost of that country’s tariffs and, importantly, its non-tariff barriers.

“Non-tariff barrier” is trade-speak for “any policy that’s not a tariff <https://www.citizen.org/news/2025-annual-ustr-report-resurrects-corporate-wishlist-attacking-climate-health-and-digital-regulation/>” but might restrict trade — from climate protections to minimum wage laws to consumer protections in the form of toxic food additives. While many non-tariff barriers serve vital public policies, corporations and trade negotiators often treat them as obstacles to profit.

According to the April 2 executive order <https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/04/regulating-imports-with-a-reciprocal-tariff-to-rectify-trade-practices-that-contribute-to-large-and-persistent-annual-united-states-goods-trade-deficits/>, Trump can unilaterally decide to lower the tariffs imposed on a country if it takes “significant steps to remedy non-reciprocal trade arrangements and align sufficiently with the United States on economic and national security matters.”

What constitutes a “significant step” isn’t defined, but it certainly looks like an open invitation for governments to slash their tariffs and reverse policies to appease Trump and his billionaire buddies.

For what exactly those policies may be, just look to the report Trump waved around at the beginning of his so-called “Liberation Day” tariff announcement speech in the Rose Garden.

That document is a 400-page list of the policies that other countries have enacted — or are even considering enacting — that U.S. corporations don’t like. It’s the National Trade Estimates Report on Foreign Trade Barriers, an annual government report that has long been criticized as an inappropriate overreach to name and shame other countries’ legitimate public interest policies. It’s also a glimpse of the policies that Trump may seek to have destroyed in exchange for tariff relief.

The policies targeted in this year’s report include climate protections, including Canada’s Clean Fuel Standard, the European Union’s Deforestation-Free Supply Chain Regulation, and Japan’s renewable energy incentives — all of which are aligned with global climate commitments.

Public health regulations aimed at protecting consumers, preserving biodiversity, and preventing long-term health risks were also attacked. Employed by dozens of countries, these include bans, testing requirements, or even labeling policies on pesticides like Roundup’s glyphosate, genetically engineered food, ractopamine in beef and pork, and heavy metals in cosmetics.

Regulations that promote competition in the digital ecosystem, laws that impose digital services taxes on Big Tech firms, place conditions for cross-border data transfers, promote fairness in the digital economy, and laws that regulate emerging technologies such as AI.

Benefits for Trump’s Buddies
Countries are not the only ones who will be supplicating to avoid the full weight of Trump’s tariffs. Despite Trump’s claims that other countries foot the bill on tariffs, it is U.S. importers who must pay this fee … unless they can convince Trump to grant them a special exemption.

It is well-documented <https://www.citizen.org/article/trump-loves-tariffs-just-not-for-the-rich-and-well-connected/> that the opaque and chaotic tariff exclusion process created in Trump’s first term quickly overwhelmed government agencies and enabled a quid pro quo spoils system that rewarded the rich and well-connected. A revolving door of lobbyists, including former and future Trump administration officials, were able to secure lucrative tariff exceptions for their CEO clients through political pressure, informal meetings, and campaign contributions.

Trump’s latest stunt had nothing to do with “liberation.” You can’t fix a rigged trade system while keeping its rules and attacking people at every turn.

Through this system, Trump wielded tariffs and tariff exceptions to reward his friends <https://www.citizen.org/article/trump-loves-tariffs-just-not-for-the-rich-and-well-connected/> and punish his enemies. CEOs that donated to Republicans had a 1 in 5 chance of having their exemption request granted versus 1 in 10 for CEOs that supported Democrats, according to a January 2025 study.

If Trump’s recent attacks on law firms, universities, and the press are any indication, he’s prepared to double down on using his second term to punish enemies and enrich himself and his friends. And his dismantling of watchdog agencies and boosting of big business ties set the stage for tariff exemptions to be even more corrupt and harmful to workers, consumers, and the U.S. and global economy.

What other displays of political loyalty might companies offer <https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIALTQjMKma/?igsh=bWxxa2thcjlxN3J5> to Trump for a tariff exclusion this time around? Public endorsement of his policies? Promises to monitor employees for DEI ideologies or views critical of the administration?

We Deserve Better
Trade justice requires more than poorly designed tariffs. It demands systemic reform: binding labor rights, climate protections, resilient supply chains, and democratic accountability. Trump offers none of that.

There’s no industrial plan. No support for unions. No climate-resilience vision. Just a chaotic, performative tariff regime, which in practice will surely be wielded to reward loyalty and punish dissent.

Trump’s latest stunt had nothing to do with “liberation.” You can’t fix a rigged trade system while keeping its rules and attacking people at every turn. Trump talks a big game but serves the same corporate interests that gutted labor rights in the first place. Working people deserve a system with them at the center, not one that favors corporations.

This isn’t trade justice. It’s a con.

======

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/trump-s-tariffs-hurt-workers-smarter-trade-strategy-could-empower-them <https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/trump-s-tariffs-hurt-workers-smarter-trade-strategy-could-empower-them>

Trump’s Tariffs Hurt Workers. A Smarter Trade Strategy Could Empower Them. 
We need strategic thinking, not bluster  

By Ben Jealous April 4, 2025

Distributed by Trice Edney Newswire
In the Trump era, economic policy often comes with more bluster than strategy. His latest round of tariffs is no exception. Slapped on a broad swath of imported goods without rhyme, reason, or regard for the people who will bear the brunt of the cost—American families and workers—these tariffs are a political stunt masquerading as industrial policy.
Let’s be clear: Tariffs can be a tool for economic transformation. But they must be wielded with precision, guided by vision, and paired with bold investments. What Trump is doing is none of that.
His scattershot approach will disturb the ongoing US manufacturing renaissance and raise prices on everything from cars to appliances, hitting working families hardest. The administration's recently announced 25 percent tariff on all cars and auto parts not made entirely in the United States could drive up the cost of an average new car by thousands of dollars. And for what? There are no clear signals to industry, no long-term plans for job creation, no environmental guardrails—just chaos and chest thumping.
We’ve seen this movie before. During Trump’s first term, similar tariffs on steel and aluminum were supposed to help revive American manufacturing. And they could have, had he invested in clean, safe, high-tech production and the American supply chain. Instead, Trump opted for pain and scarcity. Less availability of metals had a negative downstream impact <https://www.reuters.com/graphics/TRUMP-TARIFFS/STEEL/gdpznwgdzpw/> on the industries that relied on them. Prices on goods made with metals went up. And American metal makers didn’t have a reason to invest in advanced manufacturing. 
American manufacturing actually has been revived since then, but it was the Biden-Harris administration’s Inflation Reduction Act and other initiatives like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that were responsible. The previous administration’s trade policy was also smarter, with narrowly focused tariff increases specifically targeted to China and on sectors critical to the clean energy transition—solar panels, electric vehicles, EV batteries, semiconductors, and yes, steel and aluminum. Ideally, tariffs should be paired with investments in domestic manufacturing, particularly in facilities that are clean, unionized, and ready to meet the climate challenge. And tariffs should send a clear message to competitors that there will be consequences for polluting, relying on forced labor, and other harmful practices.
This is not just about economics; it is about justice. Low-income and working-class communities have borne the brunt of dirty industry and offshored jobs. Reindustrializing America has to be different this time. We need a clean, equitable economy built with and for working families.
And here’s the good news: It is possible. I have seen it. From my time crisscrossing the country opposing NAFTA 30 years ago to my current work with the Sierra Club, I have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with labor leaders, environmental advocates, and frontline communities. We agree more often than not. We want trade policies that lift wages, protect the planet, and rebuild domestic industries—not that rig the game for polluters and drive up prices on already-struggling consumers.
One step in the right direction is for trade agreements and tariffs to address pollution and include carbon border adjustment mechanisms <https://www.sierraclub.org/sites/default/files/2023-12/Carbon-Border-Adjustments-White-Paper-Final-V2.pdf>—fees based on the pollution in imported goods exceeding US levels. If your steel pollutes rivers in Mexico or your solar panels are made with coal power in China, you should not get a free pass in the US market. These mechanisms level the playing field, give American manufacturers a reason to go green and become cleaner, and improve conditions for workers and manufacturing communities overseas.
We also need to update agreements like the United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement to include rapid-response mechanisms not just for labor abuses but for environmental violations too. If a country undercuts us by trashing its air and water, we should be able to act quickly.
Trump’s tariffs don’t do any of that. They are about headlines, not outcomes. And we do not have time for empty gestures. The climate crisis is here. American workers are tired of being played. And families across this country cannot afford higher prices with no payoff.
We need a real plan. One that brings together labor and environmentalists, manufacturers, and frontline communities. One that builds a new industrial vision—not just for profit but for people and planet.
The path is clear. What we need now is the courage to walk it.
=====

Beyond Tariffs: What Neoliberals Get Wrong About American Manufacturing <https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=57821&post_id=160663457&utm_source=post-email-title&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=5g5ndf&token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjozMjk0NjgzMDcsInBvc3RfaWQiOjE2MDY2MzQ1NywiaWF0IjoxNzQzODgzODUyLCJleHAiOjE3NDY0NzU4NTIsImlzcyI6InB1Yi01NzgyMSIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.ayrWur9VkzuW4_rQJkXXW70bEaNRTEwU6E1H8JRm07k>
Trump’s tariffs lack strategy, fueling inflation without solutions. Neoliberal Democrats dismiss manufacturing jobs as unattainable and unneeded.
There’s a certain kind of elite liberal who really believes the grocery store makes food.

You’ve probably met them. They’ll say we don’t need to make anything here anymore because we’re rich and we can just pay other countries to do it. Like the dollar is some magic token that guarantees someone somewhere will always make our stuff, ship it to us, and thank us for the privilege and the greenback.

It’s the same thinking as someone who eats meat but doesn’t want to see a bone—doesn’t want to be reminded that it came from an animal. Doesn’t want to know the messy, real process that brings that meat to the table. That kind of person wants everything polished, shrink-wrapped, and abstracted from reality.

And that’s exactly how we treat the economy now. We think food comes from the grocery store, electricity comes from the wall, and medicine comes from CVS. We’ve become a country so detached from the systems that keep us alive that we think GDP growth and financialization are the same thing as wealth. They are not wealth.

Real wealth is the ability to build, grow, refine, produce. It’s the ability to create the things you need—and the things the world wants—from raw materials and labor. It’s energy, housing, medicine, machines, and food. If you can’t do those things, you’re not wealthy. You’re dependent. You’re fragile. And eventually, you’re irrelevant.

What Do We Actually Still Make? Not Much.

Now you’ll get some neoliberal pundits, Ezra Klein types, who say: “Actually, the U.S. still makes more than ever!” But you dig into it and see what we’re really making, and it’s mostly chemicals, refined oil, some semiconductors, and processed food. That’s the bulk of it.

You wanna know what we don’t make? Damn near everything else.

The machines we use to drill oil—we don’t make most of those. The parts for our power grid? Imported. The chips for our computers and weapons? Mostly made in Asia. The precursors for pharmaceuticals? China and India. We couldn’t rebuild our grid, restock our hospitals, or sustain our own military if the rest of the world stopped answering the phone.

 <https://substack.com/redirect/22bcfc22-0732-490f-84cc-1eac2827c893?j=eyJ1IjoiNWc1bmRmIn0.IemzfYU7xWpFZDSj8oxrGXUnIPMzV99pY-QXOMuRj0k>	
Even in industries where we still technically “manufacture,” most of the value is added overseas. We import the guts of the machine, bolt the shell together here, and call it “Made in America.” It’s manufacturing role-playing.

We’ve become addicted to a version of “manufacturing” that’s mostly branding, packaging, and accounting tricks. But somehow, we think we’re still indispensable to the rest of the world. It’s wild and it’s how nations fail.

The System Didn’t Fail—It Was Built This Way

Let’s be clear: this didn’t just happen. This wasn’t some accident of global markets or natural evolution. This was the result of choices—decades of deliberate policy decisions. It wasn’t a failure. It was a design.

The hollowing out started long before NAFTA. Nixon cracked the door open. Carter nudged it further. Reagan blew it off the hinges. But NAFTA—that was the moment the Democratic Party didn’t just go along with the destruction—they championed it. That’s why it hurt so bad. Not just because of the jobs it destroyed, but because of who did it.

It wasn’t Reagan. It wasn’t Bush. It was Bill Clinton.

The supposed defender of working people handed corporate America a knife, pointed it at the heart of industrial America, and told the rest of us, “You’ll be fine.”

NAFTA didn’t just shift jobs to Mexico—it detonated regional economies. China’s entry into the WTO didn’t just “open up trade”—it obliterated entire sectors and made us dependent on a geopolitical rival for the goods that keep modern life running. And all of it was sold to us by the same people who spent 40 years preaching the gospel of global capital: Milton Friedman, Alan Greenspan, the Chicago School crew, and the bipartisan elite that followed them—Clinton, Obama, Biden.

They bought into the fantasy of a “managerial economy,” where America would design, brand, and consult, and the rest of the world would do the building. But you can’t eat consulting. You can’t power a grid with branding.

We weren’t screwed by China or Mexico. We were screwed by our own people.

We were sold out by our business leaders, our think tanks, our economists, our politicians and our chambers of commerce—by people who thought working with your hands was beneath them, who thought industry was outdated, who assumed the rest of the world would never catch up. And when they gutted our communities, they had the balls to tell working people we were “nostalgic”—like wanting a solid union job with benefits was some kind of personal weakness.

Since 1975, the top 10% in this country have siphoned off $79 trillion <https://substack.com/redirect/47c76358-8853-4e00-96b6-2687e6f687be?j=eyJ1IjoiNWc1bmRmIn0.IemzfYU7xWpFZDSj8oxrGXUnIPMzV99pY-QXOMuRj0k> in productivity and value from the bottom 90%. That’s not “market efficiency.” That’s theft. That’s hundreds of millions of Americans doing the work and getting none of the reward. It’s generational robbery—and we’re still living in the wreckage.

 <https://substack.com/redirect/1a503df7-8465-43af-904b-27d9a19956e6?j=eyJ1IjoiNWc1bmRmIn0.IemzfYU7xWpFZDSj8oxrGXUnIPMzV99pY-QXOMuRj0k>	
And this isn’t just an American problem—it’s global. The Western elite aligned itself with a system that rewards extraction over production, finance over labor, consulting over building. Across the world, the people doing the work are getting squeezed while the people doing the skimming get rich.

It didn’t fail. It worked—just not for three hundred million or so of us.

Trump Saw the Fire and Grabbed a Can of Gas 

Now, here comes Trump. And he says, “You’ve been screwed. They’ve been laughing at us. China’s winning. America doesn’t make anything anymore.” And the thing is—he’s not wrong about the diagnosis.

But his solutions? It's dumb as hell.

A bunch of random ass tariffs on everything with zero plan to rebuild industrial capacity? That’s just setting the house on fire and calling it a renovation.

This is a guy who wants you to believe America has been helpless and innocent, a big victim getting taken advantage of by mean foreigners. Bullshit. The American people have been taken advantage of, yes—but not by China not by immigrants. By the Chamber of Commerce and CEOs. By our own institutions. By our own leadership.

Trump isn’t offering a fix. He’s offering a tantrum. He slapped tariffs on China in 2018 and the trade deficit still hit record highs. Because you can’t just tax your way into a manufacturing renaissance. You have to build. And that takes vision, capital, training, infrastructure, and coordination.

Tariffs without rebuilding are just a tax by another name.

The Dollar’s Only Good As Long As We Are

The only reason this house of cards hasn’t collapsed yet is because the dollar is still the world’s reserve currency. That means we can print money, run deficits, and import everything we consume—and the world keeps accepting our IOUs.

But that’s not eternal. Countries are already moving off the dollar. BRICS is doing trade in yuan. Nations are settling oil in other currencies. The dollar’s share of global reserves has been sliding for 20 years.

 <https://substack.com/redirect/3e12cae2-e6ab-4abe-aa22-068624cdc345?j=eyJ1IjoiNWc1bmRmIn0.IemzfYU7xWpFZDSj8oxrGXUnIPMzV99pY-QXOMuRj0k>	
Why? Because we’ve stopped being useful. We don’t make the stuff. We don’t supply the tools. We don’t offer the capacity. All we offer is market access, military muscle, and financial systems.

When that’s all you’ve got, and someone else shows up with something real—the world moves on.

If We Want to Matter, We Have to Be Useful Again

We need to return to being useful. Not just to ourselves, but to the world.

Useful doesn’t mean sending troops or supporting genocide. It doesn’t mean floating debt. It means building systems, producing goods, solving real problems. It means becoming a country that makes the machines that run the world again.

If you can’t make your own power grid components, you’re not sovereign. If you can’t produce your own pharmaceuticals, you’re not safe. If your food comes from global supply chains and your military depends on rare earths from a rival, you’re not strong.

Manufacturing is not nostalgia. It’s power. It’s independence. It’s leverage. And it’s how you build a future that’s not built on hope and spreadsheets.

 <https://substack.com/redirect/751c85a3-cfb1-405e-beed-0eec3190c3be?j=eyJ1IjoiNWc1bmRmIn0.IemzfYU7xWpFZDSj8oxrGXUnIPMzV99pY-QXOMuRj0k>	
This Is a National Project

There’s a growing movement of people who get this. Who know that food doesn’t come from the grocery store, and that power doesn’t come from flipping a switch. That copper matters. That machine tools matter. That the ability to fabricate, refine, and assemble things on your own soil is what makes a country independent.

For too long, our greatest export has been force. We’ve been the Western world’s bouncer—showing up with aircraft carriers to defend capital, not democracy. But what if we became the builder again? What if the world respected us not because of our weapons, but because we made the tools that powered progress?

That’s the opportunity. That’s the mission.

We’re not out of time. But the clock is ticking. And if we don’t wake up to how fragile this whole arrangement is, we’re going to find ourselves holding a lot of paper wealth in a world that doesn’t care.

It’s time to compete. Time to build. Time to matter again.

And it’s going to take people in power who actually understand this—who know we need to build, not brand. Who aren’t defending the system that got us here but are ready to tear it out at the root and replace it with something that works.

That’s why I want you to check out Saikat Chakrabarti. <https://substack.com/redirect/87916467-4bb3-469b-a6c4-d99f47276a5d?j=eyJ1IjoiNWc1bmRmIn0.IemzfYU7xWpFZDSj8oxrGXUnIPMzV99pY-QXOMuRj0k> He’s a friend of mine. Co-founded Justice Democrats. Helped build the Green New Deal. And now he’s running against Nancy Pelosi. Not because one seat changes everything—but because the ideas he’s pushing can.

He’s not just talking about decline—he’s offering a blueprint to fix it and asking candidates to join him. He gets what this post is about. He’s leading the fight to build something new.

Check it out here. <https://substack.com/redirect/928873b6-8d3e-494b-8cc7-4709d3056eda?j=eyJ1IjoiNWc1bmRmIn0.IemzfYU7xWpFZDSj8oxrGXUnIPMzV99pY-QXOMuRj0k>

Arthur Stamoulis
Citizens Trade Campaign
(202) 494-8826

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