Free trade agreements

FAQ on tariffs

What is a tariff? A tariff is a tax on goods imported into a country. Like other federal taxes, it is collected by the importing government and goes into the general revenue account at the U.S. Treasury.

Trade Policy FAQ: Key Trade Terms and Current Issues

What is “fast track”?

Trade basics: New series of FAQs on trade policies

Trade has been in the news a lot lately, whether because of the latest threats of tariffs or the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) or other smaller, bilateral deals. All too often, trade among nations and trade agreements are written about as if expanding trade or locking in trade deals were ends in themselves.

Getting smarter, not ‘tougher,’ about trade policy

A mid-August New York Times article framed the debate about trade policy in the Democratic Party’s presidential primary race as one of being ‘tougher than Trump.’ To develop trade policy that chases that meme will play into th

Nearly 60 farm and food groups urge Congress to reject new USMCA

WASHINGTON—The current version of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) must be rejected, as it ignores the fundamental shortcomings of its predecessor—the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)—and will lock in trade rules that have devastated family farms and expanded corporate control in agriculture and food, according to 59 organizations.

Farm and food groups to Congress: Reject the USMCA

We write to you as representatives of US family farm, ranching, farmworker, local foods, public health, and sustainable agriculture organizations to urge you to reject the current version of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA).

Alternative agricultural systems

The following is an excerpt from Beyond NAFTA 2.0: A Trade Agenda for People and the Planet jointly published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, the Institute

340+ organizations call on the EU to immediately halt trade negotiations with Brazil

Download the PDF here

Trump's tariff tantrum

Reverting to his favorite form of discourse, President Trump tweeted last week that he would impose rising tariffs on imports from Mexico unless it stopped migration flows north into the United States. This is a violation of human rights and basic decency.

The trade cold war: Agricultural impacts

It’s hard to believe that transnational corporations—who sought and gained access to low-cost, non-union Chinese labor and more than one billion Chinese consumers in the 1990s and 2000s—could not have foreseen the day that China itself would compete in advanced technology products and markets.