What’s Next for the U.S.’s Trade Deals?
Free-trade deals have always had their detractors, and major multinational summits organized by the World Trade Organization and the like commonly attract protesters. Still, the mainstream opinion within both major political parties in modern times has been almost unanimously in favor of free trade. It’s the sort of issue that has united George W. Bush and Barack Obama, Bill Clinton and Bill Kristol. The mere fact that free trade was a major issue in this election cycle represented a break from the norm.
As of Monday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative was still arguing that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) would benefit American workers—which wasn’t up to date with the feelings of a presidential memorandum withdrawing the U.S. from the partnership.
