Ep. 51 - Coffins, Paint Rollers and other Threats to National Security: Time to Update US Trade Laws?

In this week's episode, our trade insiders discussed the Spain tariff threat and its quick reversal, and what that sequence of events suggests about navigating President Trump’s tariff threats in a post-IEEPA world. The panel also examined how "national security" is being applied as a basis for tariff action across a wide range of products and countries, and discussed the ongoing question about the Congressional role role in setting trade law given the Cold-War era measures like Section 301, 122, and 232 are being used for 21st Century economic and national security purposes.
Our trade experts then turned to the Section 301 investigation on forced labor, including a firsthand account of this week's USTR hearings, the standards at issue, and the potential for future litigation. The insiders also covered a joint statement from industry groups representing the apparel and textile sectors, recent developments in the excess capacity case, and a new Section 232 finding on aircraft parts that may point to a broader pattern in how these investigations are being resolved.

Featured Speakers: Wendy Cutler, Senior Vice President, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Acting Deputy U.S. Trade Representative

Ed Gresser, Vice President & Director for Trade & Global Markets, Progressive Policy Institute; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Trade Policy and Economics - author of the Trade Fact of the Week

Daniel Mullaney, Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; former Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East

Moderator: Joe Damond, Non-resident Senior Associate, Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Southeast Asia program; former Deputy Assistant USTR for Asia