Trade Deals

Guest: Wade Jacoby, Ph.D., Professor of Political Science at BYU  Before he leaves office, President Obama would like to finish up a trade deal that would be the largest in a generation. It would link 12 nations, including Canada, Chile, Japan and Australia, lowering tariffs on goods they trade and strengthening America’s economic power in Asia as a counterbalance to China’s growth.  Congress is far from convinced that the deal is a good thing and they’re deeply divided on whether or not to give the president fast track authority to make such trade deals without out getting line-by-line approval or amendments from legislators.  “Trade deals” don’t sound awfully exciting to most Americans, but they can have a major impact on local economies. They are also almost always controversial in Congress. As one Democratic Representative told the New York Times this week, “Outside of an authorization of military force, votes probably don’t get tougher than trade.”