<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><i class="">Several articles — and the Koch brothers' campaign goals, which include “modernizing” NAFTA and reviving the TPP and TTIP — are pasted below...<br class=""></i><div apple-content-edited="true" class=""><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<div class="WordSection1" style="page: WordSection1;"><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 14pt; font-family: nyt-cheltenham, serif; color: rgb(18, 18, 18);" class="">New York Times<o:p class=""></o:p></span></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt 0in; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: nyt-cheltenham, serif; color: rgb(18, 18, 18);" class="">Free Trade Puts Republican Megadonors on Collision Course With Trump<o:p class=""></o:p></span></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-franklin, serif;" class="">By Reuters<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">June 4, 2018<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">WASHINGTON — Groups backed by powerful Republican donors Charles and David Koch said on Monday they will champion free trade and oppose tariffs with a multimillion-dollar campaign that puts them on a collision course with President Donald Trump.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The embrace of free trade principles by major Republican donors comes as Trump pursues aggressive measures against trading partners from China to Canada and U.S. allies in Europe, in line with his campaign pledge to pursue better trade deals.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">An infusion of money into media, grassroots mobilization, lobbying and policy analysis into the domestic debate on free trade could embolden Republican candidates in the November congressional elections to part ways with the president on the issue.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Republican lawmakers, already grumbling about some of Trump's trade initiatives, outright condemned the Commerce Department announcement last week on impending tariffs on steel imports and aluminum to be imposed on the European Union, Canada and Mexico.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">In a statement, the Koch-backed groups said they would push Trump to lift those steel and aluminum tariffs, the recent tariffs on solar panels and washing machines as well the proposed tariffs for imports from China. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">"The Trump administration has taken some incredibly positive steps for the American economy, but tariffs will undercut that progress and needlessly hamstring our full economic potential," said Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, a Koch advocacy group.</span><b class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-franklin, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The groups said they would advocate that Trump reduce or eliminate trade barriers by modernizing the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and returning to the negotiating table on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">Congress should abolish farm subsidies on crops, commodities and crop insurance and end subsidies for green energy as well as repeal the "buy America" requirement and the Jones Act, which requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be carried on ships that are domestically owned.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The Koch-funded Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and the LIBRE Initiative are also involved in the initiative.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The billionaire Koch brothers have been a force in American politics since the 1980s. Their influence has largely been powered by a fortune centered on Koch Industries, the second-largest privately held company in the United States with annual revenues of more than $115 billion from interests in energy, chemicals and other sectors.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">During the 2016 presidential campaign, the Kochs kept their distance from Trump. Charles Koch spoke out against Trump's proposed Muslim registry, invoking a comparison to Nazi Germany.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">The Koch network did not actively campaign against Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary or pour money into his campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. By contrast, the Koch network spent more than $120 million in the unsuccessful 2012 effort to defeat President Barack Obama.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">After the 2016 election, however, the Kochs found common ground with the new Republican president on issues including rolling back federal regulations and pulling out of the Paris global climate accord. <o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">"This campaign makes a clear statement: Trade is a major priority for our network. We will work aggressively to educate policymakers and others about the facts," said James Davis, executive vice president of Freedom Partners.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class="">(Reporting by Doina Chiacu and Caren Bohan; editing by Jonathan Oatis)<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 12.5pt; font-family: nyt-imperial, serif; color: rgb(51, 51, 51);" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 15pt 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><br class=""></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman, serif" size="3" class=""><a href="http://freedompartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Trade-vision-and-principles.pdf" class="">http://freedompartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Trade-vision-and-principles.pdf</a></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman, serif" size="3" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman, serif" size="3" class="">Freedom Partners Americans For Prosperity The Libre Initiative</font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class="">
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<div class="column"><p class=""><span style="font-size: 14.000000pt; font-family: 'ArialNarrow'" class="">AMERICAN TRADE: DRIVEN BY FREEDOM
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Barriers to trade make Americans poorer. The United States should embrace free trade and its many benefits to the
American people, and work to eliminate trade barriers, not erect them.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'ArialNarrow'" class="">PRINCIPLES
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">Individuals, businesses, and countries should be free to engage in the voluntary exchange of goods and
services, which improves lives by growing the economy, increasing pay checks, and creating new and better
jobs</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">.
</span></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: none" class="">
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Trade is mutually beneficial to all trading partners.
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Trade allows businesses and individuals to make the most of their comparative advantages – focusing on
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">what they do most efficiently and trading for things that others can do at lower cost.
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Trade increases access to a rich array of high-quality and lower-cost products and services.
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Trade has helped lift millions of Americans out of poverty, improve our standard of living, and modernize
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">our economy.
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Conversely, tariffs and other protectionist policies supported by tariffs represent a tax on consumers and
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">businesses, limiting economic opportunity and stifling growth.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">The president should reduce or eliminate trade barriers through international agreements, including:
</span></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: none" class="">
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">modernizing NAFTA;
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">concluding an agreement with the United Kingdom;
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">resuming negotiations on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the European Union; and
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">returning to the negotiating table on the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP).
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">Individuals and businesses in a competitive market, not government bureaucrats or politicians</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">, </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">should
guide trade decisions.
</span></p>
</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: none" class="">
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Trade policy should embrace competition, which requires businesses to constantly innovate and find more
efficient and affordable ways to deliver products and services that help fuel economic growth.
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Trade policy should not favor one U.S. business or industry over another. This will create a competitive
environment without propping up unsuccessful businesses or businesses that are politically connected.
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Trade policy should not be guided by trade deficits, which may sound ominous but, in reality, are not proper
indicators of healthy trading relationships, economic prosperity, or growth.
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Managed or “strategic” trade, in which the government attempts to manage our international trade through
arbitrary trade targets, undermines free enterprise and should be rejected.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">Rather than managed trade, policymakers should support expanding existing agreements and seeking new agreements with
trading partners that include processes for resolving trade disagreements, and rules that advance mutual benefit and free and
voluntary exchange with the least amount of government interference.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">Punitive measures such as tariffs and quotas harm most consumers, workers, and businesses and should be
eliminated</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">.
</span></p>
</li>
</ul><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Trade barriers like tariffs and quotas suppress opportunity, prosperity, and well-being. They are a step
backward and harm many workers, consumers, and companies both here at home and in other countries.</span></p></div></div><div class="layoutArea"><div class="column">
</div>
</div>
</div>
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<div class="layoutArea">
<div class="column"><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">Protectionist policies create artificial winners and losers, while open trade offers a win-win that delivers the
best results for the most people.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">The president should</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">:
</span></p>
<ul style="list-style-type: none" class="">
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">permanently lift the recent steel and aluminum tariffs that are harming American workers and businesses in industries
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">that use those materials;
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">permanently lift the proposed additional tariffs on imports from China, which are causing uncertainty for most domestic
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">businesses and workers;
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">permanently lift the recent solar panel and washing machine tariffs that are harming American consumers and families;
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">drop consideration of new tariffs for imported autos; and
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">avoid any new tariffs or other trade restrictions.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">Congress should end quotas on sugar, dairy, and other commodities that favor some farmers but harm consumers and downstream
producers.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">Subsidies and other forms of government supports for powerful and politically connected businesses and
industries do not create value. They punish consumers, insulate businesses from market competition, and
should be eliminated</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">Congress should</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">:
</span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: none" class="">
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">abolish farm subsidies on crops, commodities, and crop insurance;
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">end subsidies for green energy;
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">repeal the Jones Act, which requires goods shipped between U.S. ports to be transported on vessels that are domestically
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">built, crewed, and owned;
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">repeal the buy America requirement that raises costs on taxpayer-funded federal projects; and
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">abolish the Export-Import Bank, OPIC, and other programs that subsidize exports or specific industries.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">Trade disputes should be resolved through existing international trade agreements and organizations</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">.
</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">Policymakers should modernize dispute resolution procedures in the World Trade Organization in areas such as digital trade and
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">intellectual property.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">Congress should:
</span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: none" class="">
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">revisit existing trade authorities granted to the executive branch to ensure that required economic analysis reflect all the
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">benefits of trade across the entire economy, not just a single industry; and
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">implement a check and balance in which tariffs must pass an amendment-free up-or-down vote before the House and
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">Senate similar to Trade Promotion Authority.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-weight: 700" class="">While national security interests may be a consideration in trade policy, they should be used to restrict trade
only when there is truly a narrow national security interest at stake, not as a work around to impose tariffs</span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'" class="">.
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">Congress should:
</span></p>
</li>
</ul>
<ul style="list-style-type: none" class="">
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">revisit trade authority granted to the executive branch and ensure that national security risks are assessed with a
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">thorough analysis using strong and consistent criteria; and
</span></p>
</li>
<li class=""><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'SymbolMT'" class="">× </span><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">implement a check and balance in which tariffs must pass an amendment-free up-or-down vote before the U.S. House
</span></p><p class=""><span style="font-size: 11.000000pt; font-family: 'Garamond'; font-style: italic" class="">and Senate similar to Trade Promotion Authority. </span></p>
</li>
</ul>
</div>
</div>
</div></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman, serif" size="3" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;" class=""><font face="Times New Roman, serif" size="3" class=""><br class=""></font></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Politico Pro<o:p class=""></o:p></span></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><i class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span></i></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 20pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Koch network unleashes multimillion dollar trade blitz</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">By Maggie Severns </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">June 4, 2018<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The powerful network of outside groups founded by the Koch brothers is rolling out a multimillion dollar campaign promoting free trade, in the wake of new tariffs announced last week by the Trump administration.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“The Trump administration has taken some incredibly positive steps for the American economy, but tariffs will undercut that progress and needlessly hamstring our full economic potential. There are better ways to negotiate trade deals than by punishing American consumers and businesses with higher costs,” Tim Phillips, president of the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, said in a statement. </span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“Instead of pursuing protectionist policies that we already know don’t work, let’s help everyone win by expanding trade, opening new markets and lowering costs.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The campaign will include paid media, as well as lobbying and activist work, the Koch network said today. Three Koch network groups will participate in the drive: Freedom Partners, AFP and The LIBRE Initiative.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The groups released a </span><a href="http://freedompartners.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Trade-vision-and-principles.pdf" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(149, 79, 114);" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; color: blue;" class="">statement of principles</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""> today that called on President Donald Trump to “reduce or eliminate trade barriers through international agreements,” including updating NAFTA and resuming negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Many Republicans backed away from full-fledged support for free trade on the campaign trail in recent years as voters grew concerned about the decline in American manufacturing jobs-- and Trump successfully capitalized on those concerns during his campaign for president. But the groups led by the libertarian Koch brothers do not equivocate in their calls for free trade.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“Trade barriers like tariffs and quotas suppress opportunity, prosperity, and well-being,” the statement of principles says. “They are a step backward and harm many workers, consumers, and companies both here at home and in other countries.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""> </b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class="">INSIDE US TRADE<o:p class=""></o:p></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><b class=""><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Koch-funded business groups plan major effort to defeat Trump tariffs<o:p class=""></o:p></span></b></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">June 04, 2018<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Three business-oriented groups funded by major conservative political donors have announced a campaign to promote free trade and combat tariffs.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Backed by Charles and David Koch, among the more prominent supporters of conservative politicians and causes, the groups -- Freedom Partners, Americans for Prosperity and the LIBRE Initiative -- announced “a multi-year, multimillion-dollar initiative to champion the far-reaching benefits of trade and oppose tariffs and other barriers.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">The campaign will consist of “paid media, activist education and grassroots mobilization, lobbying and policy analysis -- all intended to transform the way Washington and the rest of the country consider and value trade with other nations,” the statement adds. It includes links to previous statements from the groups decrying Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum as well as Section 301 tariffs on Chinese goods.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Freedom Partners Executive Vice President James Davis said in the statement that the groups were making a “long-term commitment to advance common-sense trade policies that will ensure America’s brightest days are ahead, and to directly confront the protectionist ideas that would hold us back.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">Americans for Prosperity President Tim Phillips added in the statement that the administration “has taken some incredibly positive steps for the American economy,” but said tariffs -- which have sparked a host of retaliatory threats from other countries, including close allies -- will set it back.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">“There are better ways to negotiate trade deals than by punishing American consumers and businesses with higher costs,” Phillips said. “Instead of pursuing protectionist policies that we already know don’t work, let’s help everyone win by expanding trade, opening new markets and lowering costs.”<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div><div style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;" class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class="">LIBRE Initiative President Daniel Garza cited concern for Hispanics and low-income workers who he said “are among the most badly hurt by this drag on economic growth and government-mandated price increases.” The group -- which bills itself as “a non-partisan, non-profit grassroots organization that advances the principles and values of a free and open society to empower the U.S. Hispanic community” -- is “pleased to stand with those who understand how greatly America benefits from trade -- and how badly hurt we are by tariffs and other barriers,” he said in the statement.<o:p class=""></o:p></span></div><div class=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;" class=""><br class=""></span></div></div></body></html>