No pain, no gain in trade dispute with China, says Ross
Negotiations didn’t work, so the Trump administration is relying on the economic discomfort of tariffs to force China to change its trade practices, said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross on Wednesday. Farm-state senators say there is a risk of the long-term loss of export markets as the dispute escalates.
Drop the threat of NAFTA withdrawal, asks U.S. food and ag sector
A coalition of 100 companies and trade groups representing the U.S. food and agriculture sector says it supports President Trum's goal of modernization of NAFTA but, "We encourage NAFTA negotiations to continue without the threat of withdrawal." Trump has repeatedly threatened to scrap the tri-national trade agreement and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said Canada and Mexico have more to lose than the United States if there is a rupture.
Ross’s flounder decision flouts protocol, say critics
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross sided with New Jersey and broke longstanding protocol on a regional approach to preservation of the summer flounder, one of the most-fished species in the Northeast, says the Boston Globe. By rejecting the recommendations of a commission that oversees fishing issues on the East Coast — an unprecedented step — Ross raised "deep concerns about political meddling" and effectively will allow New Jersey to harvest more flounder, it says.
Commerce Secretary says EPA permit regulations are a top target
U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says that removing burdensome environmental permit regulations is high on his list of ways to improve the U.S. manufacturing climate. Ross plans to present the list to President Trump in May.
Don’t worry about trade, plant as much as possible, says Commerce’s Ross
It sounded like the return of Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz, who urged farmers to plant fence row to fence row, when Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross was asked about the uncertainties created by President Trump's plan to renegotiate trade pacts, says DTN. Ross responded, "If I were a farmer, I would plant as much as I can logically plant in today's environment."