Opinion: The US government must end its war on the American economy

Editor’s Note: Dan Pearson, a former chairman of the US International Trade Commission, is a trade policy fellow at Americans for Prosperity. Protectionist measures put in place by the Trump administration have taken USTR far away from its mission statement of “opening markets throughout the world to create new opportunities and higher living standards for families, farmers, manufacturers, workers, consumers and businesses.” Instead of opening markets, the effect of the trade war has been to restrict market access, reduce economic opportunities and lower living standards. US businesses and consumers have suffered from higher prices and reduced choices for many imported items including solar panels, washing machines, steel, aluminum, olives, whiskey, wine, cheese, yogurt and airplanes, as well as tariffs on hundreds of different products from China. Tai has offered a vision for her upcoming role: “US trade policy must benefit regular Americans, communities and workers. And that starts with recognizing that people are not just consumers — they are also workers and wage earners.” Let’s hope that benefiting “regular Americans, communities and workers” means quickly terminating the trade war and once again allowing buyers and sellers the freedom to do business around the globe.