[author: Lee Smith]

On March 1, the President submitted his National Trade Policy Agenda (Agenda) for 2017 to Congress. Required by statute, the report includes a statement of U.S. trade policy objectives and priorities, actions proposed or anticipated to be taken to achieve such objectives and priorities, any proposed legislation, and progress made during the preceding year in achieving such objectives and priorities. The Agenda included numerous issues related to U.S. manufacturing.

The Agenda provided that the overarching purpose of the Trump Administration’s trade policy will be to expand trade in a way that is freer and fairer for all Americans. It explained that every action taken by the United States with respect to trade will be designed to increase economic growth, promote job creation in the United States, and strengthen the United States’ manufacturing base, among other goals. The Agenda identified ten key objectives. The key objectives that related to U.S. manufacturing are as follows:

• Maintaining a balanced policy that looks out for the interests of all segments of the U.S. economy, including manufacturing, agriculture, and services, as well as small businesses and entrepreneurs.
• Ensuring that U.S. owners of intellectual property (IP) have a full and fair opportunity to use and profit from their IP.
• Strictly enforcing U.S. trade laws to prevent the U.S. market from being distorted by dumped and/or subsidized imports that harm domestic industries and workers.
• Ensuring that U.S. trade policy contributes to the economic strength and manufacturing base necessary to maintain – and improve – our national security.

To achieve these key objectives, the Trump Administration will (1) defend U.S. national sovereignty over trade policy; (2) strictly enforce U.S. trade laws; (3) use all possible sources of leverage to encourage other countries to open their markets to U.S. exports and to provide adequate intellectual property rights protection and enforcement; and (4) negotiate new and better trade deals with countries in key markets.

The Agenda concluded by stating that U.S. trade policy over the past 20 years failed to deliver on the promises of better treatment for U.S. workers, farmers, ranchers, and businesses. Rather, the Agenda found “that in too many instances, Americans have been put at an unfair disadvantage in global markets.” Actions taken under the Agenda will be designed to increase the wages of American workers; to grow U.S. exports; to strengthen American competitiveness in both goods and services; and to provide all Americans with a better and fairer chance to improve their standard of living