Executive Summary: Introduction On October 9th, China imposed export controls on rare earth minerals and related technologies. Since then, rare earth minerals have been dominating news headlines, with many experts espousing the importance of reducing the U.S.’s dependence on China for these minerals. The Trump administration’s policies have heavily focused on rare earth minerals too; … Continue reading
Tag Archives: trump
Betting on Trade: Prediction Markets & Tariff Uncertainty
Executive Summary: On February 1st, 2025, Trump signed an executive order imposing tariffs on imports from Mexico, Canada, and China. Two days later, Trump agreed to a 30-day pause on these trade threats. Since then, Trump has announced a myriad of tariffs, many of which he has paused or completely revoked in the following days. … Continue reading
Trump’s policies will increase home prices in a long-suffering housing market
Executive Summary Introduction There is a housing supply shortage in the United States which is skyrocketing home prices. The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Home Ownership Affordability Monitor reached 64 for the total U.S. market in May 2025. This is the lowest number on record and well below 100, the benchmark for “affordable.” In January … Continue reading
‘Golden share’ of U.S. Steel extends president’s reach into the private sector
Executive Summary Introduction On June 18, the Japanese firm Nippon Steel finalized a “historic partnership” with U.S. Steel (USS), acquiring the company for nearly $15 billion. This came after years of Biden and then Trump blocking the purchase due to national security concerns. The deal was finally allowed soon after President Trump was promised a … Continue reading
What will sector-specific tariffs cost?
Executive Summary Introduction Although President Trump has paused his April 2 “Liberation Day” tariffs for 90 days, he continues to threaten immanent sector-specific tariffs. The threatened sectors include pharmaceuticals, copper, lumber, semiconductors, chemicals and minerals, and energy, which combined account for roughly 20-percent of U.S. imports and include most products initially exempted from “Liberation Day” … Continue reading
How Biden Helped to Create Trump’s Unilateral Trade Policy Process
Executive Summary Introduction Throughout his time in office, President Biden was a persistent advocate of innovative executive branch tactics to restrict trade volumes and capital flows in and out of the United States. While Biden did not engage in the brinkmanship negotiation strategies President Trump has used over the past month, he did use the … Continue reading
Playing Chicken with a Coyote: Why the U.S. has Less Leverage over Mexico than Trump Believes
Executive Summary Introduction In the 1955 movie A Rebel Without a Cause, James Dean introduced Americans to the game of “chicken,” wherein two cars accelerate towards each other until one swerves. The swerving car’s driver is labeled the “chicken,” and the steady driver wins. Eighty years later, the game of chicken is not just a … Continue reading
Trump’s H-1B Policies Are Neither Buying American Nor Hiring American
Three months after his inauguration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order enacting a trademark promise of his campaign: “Buy American, Hire American.” Among other things, the order directed his administration to review the current immigration system and determine policies for the United States to promote higher wages and employment for American workers. One the … Continue reading
Politicking National Security: A Hack Job
In case you missed it, a presidential candidate invited a foreign government to break into either a private citizen’s email account and steal information or break into the servers at the United States Department of State. I am in a state of disbelief. These were his words (with my editorial comments in parentheses): Russia, if … Continue reading
Policy Interns 
You must be logged in to post a comment.