Trade and Economic Security

The benefits of international trade and investment have always been uneven, and in recent decades the costs of unfair trade practices have disproportionately affected American manufacturing workers and communities – damage now compounded by corporate investments in automation. Selectively applied tariffs, in response to unfair trade practices, can help protect workers and incentivize investment in U.S.-based manufacturing. By contrast, President Trump’s economy-wide tariffs on our largest trading partners and his escalating trade wars could result in large-scale job loss, rising inflation, and unprecedented disruption to U.S. alliances. A better approach would be to fully enforce existing U.S. trade laws and to sustain and deepen investments in the American workforce and industries of the future. We ask Congress to insist on the responsible use of trade enforcement tools like tariffs, reject actions that risk escalating trade wars, and support trade and investment partnerships with strong protections for workers and the environment.