US trade policy

Foreign Affairs argues for a post-neoliberal trade order built around balanced trade and fairer markets. The Cato Institute backs legislation to return tariff authority to Congress while leaving existing tariffs largely intact. Foreign Policy argues that President Donald Trump’s new tariff strategy rests on dubious legal grounds and has not revived manufacturing. Associated Press covers a 25-state challenge to new Section 301 tariffs. The New York Times examines exemptions from forced labor tariffs, including products linked to forced labor. Bloomberg shows how steel tariffs raised costs without reviving US tinplate production. The Wall Street Journal traces how Whirlpool’s Americas-focused strategy has increased its exposure to the weak US housing market.

Mentioned publications

The right way to balance trade – Lori Wallach, Foreign Affairs, August 5, 2026
Wallach argues that the neoliberal trade order has worsened economic inequality and insecurity, concentrated production, and contributed to destabilizing trade imbalances, while Trump’s tariffs have failed to offer an effective alternative. A post-neoliberal trade paradigm would prioritize balanced trade, fair and competitive markets, labor, environmental, and anti-monopoly standards, and greater freedom for countries to manage their domestic economies.
A good first step on tariff reform – Scott Lincicome, Clark Packard, and Chad Smitson, Cato Institute, July 24, 2026
The Congressional Trade Powers Reform Act would claw back substantial tariff authority from the executive branch and return it to Congress, requiring congressional approval for new tariffs and repealing outdated authorities such as Sections 122 and 338. While the bill would markedly improve the status quo, it leaves existing tariffs in place and Section 301’s substantive standards unchanged.
The dishonesty inside Trump’s new tariff plan – Fareed Zakaria, Foreign Policy, July 31, 2026
Trump has responded to the Supreme Court’s rejection of his sweeping tariffs by searching for ever more unusual and obscure ways to restore similar levies, including forced labor claims against dozens of economies. The result has not been a manufacturing renaissance, but higher prices, weaker investment, fewer manufacturing jobs, and a more protectionist US economy.
25 states sue over Trump’s new tariffs, calling them ‘pretext’ to replace his old ones – Paul Wiseman and Mae Anderson, Associated Press, August 4, 2026
Twenty-five states are suing the Trump administration over its latest tariffs, arguing that the new Section 301 levies are a pretext for replacing import taxes the Supreme Court struck down in February. The challenge centers on whether the administration adequately established its forced labor case against each economy and followed the investigation, consultation, and other guardrails required under Section 301.
How diamonds, paprika and fertilizer won relief from Trump’s tariffs – Ana Swanson and Jeanna Smialek, The New York Times, July 30, 2026
The Trump administration has exempted about half of US imports from its new forced labor tariffs, with carve-outs covering products including diamonds, chemicals, metal scrap, and machinery for high-tech manufacturing. The exemptions have renewed questions about how the administration decides which products to spare from tariffs, especially when some of those goods have been linked to forced and child labor.
What the American tin can reveals about Trump’s volatile tariff policy – Shawn Donnan, Bloomberg, July 27, 2026
Eight years after the introduction of Trump’s steel tariffs, the story of the tin can illustrates the unintended consequences and unfulfilled promises of his protectionist policies. Steel tariffs have raised costs for US canmakers and food producers, while domestic tinplate production has continued to shrink and the promised steel industry job boom has failed to materialize.
Whirlpool abandoned its global ambitions. Now it’s in a world of hurt. – John Keilman, Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2026
Keilman writes that Whirlpool’s shift away from global expansion to focus on the Americas has tied its fortunes more closely to a US housing market that has been in a slump for three years, weighing on appliance sales, revenue, and profits. The company is betting on new products, higher prices, lower costs, and tariffs on imported appliances to support a recovery, even as investors question whether it is doing enough beyond waiting for the housing market to rebound.