Since assuming office, President Trump has shaken the foundation of global trade with his use of tariffs. Tariffs, in simple terms, are taxes levied on imported goods. Trump’s intentions, in line with his America First campaign promise, are to boost the domestic manufacturing industry, reduce the U.S. trade deficit, and to leverage foreign countries into … Continue reading
Two economic roads have diverged in an American wood. Fortunately, America has been able to travel both. Today, July 1, the U.S. economy entered into its record-setting forty-first consecutive quarter of expansion, surpassing only the forty-quarter boom of the 1990s. What will become a quick clip in the twenty-four-hour news cycle should instead be a … Continue reading
The effects of the 35-day shutdown furloughed government employees, postponed many immigration cases and hindered the daily life of millions of Americans. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated the global cost to be 11 billion dollars and GDP to fall 0.2 percent this quarter and 0.1 percent lower over the year. Yet, the case of … Continue reading
As a result of the current regulatory climate in the United States, Financial Technology (FinTech) companies are often confused as to which laws, agencies and regulations apply to them due to the infancy of the industry. A select few countries around the world have adopted what is known as a “regulatory sandbox” to adapt … Continue reading
America First vs the WTO The World Trade Organization (WTO) is the foremost intergovernmental organization for regulating international trade. Its purpose is to promote free-flowing trade by providing its membership with forums for three interrelated functions – negotiation, illumination, and litigation. As of 2018, 164 members or (contracted parties) representing 96.4% of world trade, 96.7% … Continue reading
Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour has grown in popularity over the past few years. On the surface this law seems fair and reasonable, but in-depth analysis recognizes the issues that come along with this policy. A $15 minimum wage hurts the people it is trying to help because businesses are unable to … Continue reading
Healthcare was a major topic of discussion among politicians this past midterm election. Every election cycle it seems that more citizens are calling for government to intervene in the industry. On the left, we see a rise in popularity of single-payer healthcare or programs such as the Affordable Healthcare Act. Such programs may seem great … Continue reading
The new public charge rule released under the Trump administration, if implemented, would represent the largest expansion of the definition in its 136-year history and would lead to drastic negative consequences for both companies and the wider native population. The public charge condition of inadmissibility is a powerful tool that has long been used by … Continue reading
The Environment Protection Agency (EPA) overstepped its boundaries under the Obama administration with the Clean Power Plan (CPP). In 2016, the Supreme Court ruled that the Clean Air Act (CAA) was seeking to regulate “outside the fence line” of individual power plants. According to the EPA’s website, several states, trade associations, labor unions, and rural electric … Continue reading
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