Warren’s Trade Plan Does Poor Nations No Favors

On both sides of the political aisle, there is a newfound suspicion of trade deals. As soon as he got into office, President Donald Trump pulled out of the multilateral Trans-Pacific Partnership -- something that Senator Bernie Sanders had also called for during the 2016 election campaign. Now, presidential candidate Senator Elizabeth Warren has come out with a plan that would substantially raise the hurdles that future trade deals would have to clear. It would require much more transparency during negotiations, increase the input of labor and environmental groups, and eliminate dispute resolution mechanisms that allow corporations to evade oversight by the courts. And it would impose a tax on the carbon emissions embedded in imports.

Most importantly, the plan would require that any country that enters into a trade deal with the U.S. would have to meet the same environmental, labor and safety standards as the U.S. And it would force a renegotiation of any trade deal that doesn't already include these provisions.