[author: Laura Anne Schierhoff]

President-elect Donald Trump has released his “100-Day Action Plan to Make America Great Again.” The plan includes many policies that will impact trade. The first item on President-elect Trump’s plan is his promise to renegotiate NAFTA or withdraw from the deal under Article 2205. This Article states that any party to the agreement can withdraw six months after providing written notice. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) has been in effect since 1994, when the agreement was negotiated by President George H.W. Bush and implemented when President Bill Clinton took office. In addition, President-elect Trump pledged to withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Trade Agreement, a trade agreement President Obama negotiated and is currently awaiting Congressional approval. President-elect Trump also said he would direct his Secretary of the Treasury (not yet announced) to label China a “currency manipulator.” During his campaign, Trump often stated that the only way China sells so many goods in America is because it has devalued its currency. Lastly, President-elect Trump promised to direct the Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative (not yet announced) to “identify all foreign trading abuses that unfairly impact American workers and direct them to use every tool under American and international law to end those abuses immediately.” These proposed changes would not necessarily need congressional authorization, as international trade agreements have split authority between the White House and Congress.