Seek to make your life long and of service to your people. - Tecumseh, Shawnee (1768-1813)
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Bethany Aronhalt, a spokeswoman for the NRF, told PI that groups are
"gearing up for a robust lobbying campaign similar to 2017 efforts to
defeat the border adjustment tax and aimed at highlighting the devastating
impact any tariffs would have on consumers, businesses, and the U.S.
economy." Among the strategies business groups are using to try to stop
the tariffs is to argue that they have the "potential to negate any
progress made with the passage of tax reform," Hun Quach, vice
president for international trade at RILA, told PI. Naomi Wilson, director
of global policy for China and Greater Asia for ITI, said today's meeting
demonstrated that the tariffs' potential effects extend beyond the tech sector.
[POLITICO Influence, March 14, 2018]
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NIKKI HALEY
United States Ambassador to the
United Nations
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| PAUL MANAFORT |
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GARY
COHN
Top Economic Adviser |
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| U.S. MILITARY |
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| U.S. AGRICULTURE |
Hartzler making broadband play in farm
bill: Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.) said she will work with
House Agriculture Chairman Mike Conaway to find a farm bill home for her
Expanding Rural Access to Broadband Act, H.R. 5213 (115), a measure that would help fund loans
and grants for rural broadband. [POLITICO's Morning Agriculture, March 13,
2018]
REGENERATIVE AG AS THE NEXT BIG THING: The
buzziest topic at Expo West - the massive natural and organics trade show that
just wrapped up in Anaheim, Calif. - was regenerative agriculture, of all
things. For a sector that's growing like crazy and attracting loads of new
capital, it's sorta wonky.
There are several burgeoning efforts to define and establish
certifications around regenerative agriculture, an approach to farming aimed at
rebuilding topsoil and boosting biodiversity. The one that's getting the most
attention right now is the Regenerative Organic Alliance, a confab led by
Rodale Institute, Patagonia (yes, the clothing company) and Dr. Bronner's (yes,
the company best known for its soap). The alliance is cooking up a Regenerative
Organic Certification, which it officially launched at Expo West.
The basics: Details of the Regenerative
Organic Certification are still fluid, but the basic idea is that USDA organic
certification would be the baseline and requirements would be added on from
there. The certification would also expand beyond agricultural practices to
include animal welfare and worker standards.
All the buzz: Just to give you a sense of
how much interest there is in the topic: There was a panel on Saturday at Expo
West to discuss the Regenerative Organic Certification and it was so packed
people were sitting on the floor and dozens of people were blocked from
entering (fire marshal's orders!).
Why another certification: "We
had concern that the word regenerative was being used without the word organic
- we thought that was a big issue," said Rose Marcario, CEO of Patagonia,
during a chat with MA at Expo. Marcario said the idea was sparked last year at
Expo when she and David Bronner, CEO of Dr. Bronner's, were on a panel
together. They were worried the term regenerative could be rendered meaningless
and be used for greenwashing unless strict standards were developed to back it
up.
"There's a whole spectrum ... and, unfortunately, you'll
get really weak sauce, minimal efforts being called regenerative," Bronner
said.
What's next: Standards for ROC are
still in the works, and a number of companies are going to
be taking part in a pilot to test various systems. DanoneWave, the largest
public benefit corporation in the U.S., has pledged to have its
Vega One Organic line and its Horizon Organic grass-fed offerings take part in
the pilot. A number of other brands are also "allies" of the concept,
including Maple Hill Creamery, Justin's (a fast-growing nut butter brand) and
Patagonia Provisions (Patagonia's food line). More here.
Capital flow Expo: It was clear at the trade
show that investor interest in the sector is surging. MA popped into one
session where slides touted the fact that conventional food brands lost $19.1
billion in revenue between 2009 and 2014. The natural and organic food and
beverage sector, on the other hand, is expected to grow by 75 percent to reach
$107.7 billion in sales by 2019. Investment in the nutrition biotech and agtech
space shot up more than 1200 percent between 2014 and 2017. [Morning
Agriculture, March 13, 2018]
AD WARS: PER MORNING TRADE: "U.S.
farmers, who represent a crucial part of President Donald Trump's base of
support, are taking advantage of the president's well-known television-watching
habits this month to try to send a trade message to the White House. With a TV
advertisement that will air on Fox News' 'Fox & Friends,' Fox Business and
MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' farmers are launching their first major effort to use
the airwaves to sway Trump on his trade policies in the aftermath of his steel
and aluminum tariff action.
"The half-million-dollar ad
buy comes as agricultural groups are increasingly concerned that they
will be among the hardest hit in the event that another country decides to
retaliate against the U.S. for those tariffs. ... The ad blitz is sponsored by
Farmers for Free Trade, an advocacy group formed last year by several
agriculture industry groups in response to a potential withdrawal from NAFTA
and other trade policies that could be detrimental to agricultural
exports." [POLITICO Playbook, March 13, 2018]
TRADE SCHOLAR: TRUMP'S TARIFFS WON'T LAST: Todd
Tucker, a political scientist and fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, said
Monday he did not believe Trump's new steel and aluminum tariffs would stay in
effect for very long, even if they go ahead as scheduled on March 23.
"It's not credible that he's going to raise [tariffs] on a lot of our
trading partners at the end of the day," Tucker said during a breakfast
discussion with reporters about a new set of papers on the intersection between economic and national
security.
"Capitol Hill doesn't want them. K Street doesn't want
them. Our trading partners don't want them. As far as I can tell, about three
bros in the executive branch want them. So I don't think that's a recipe for a
stable policy regime," Tucker said.
That said, Tucker said he believes USTR could have legitimately
defended the measures at the WTO before Trump made a number of statements that
undermined the idea that they were put into place for national security
reasons.
"I think there's an argument they could have made. But the
problem is with carving out allies, you're undermining the efficiency of the
policy instrument itself, and then by linking all of these non-security
considerations like reciprocal tariffs, other things, you make it really hard
to defend, not only in the WTO, but in U.S. courts," Tucker said.
"The Supreme Court has tended to be deferential to the
president on national security questions. But sort of like the Muslim ban,
[Trump's] tweeting activity is undermining the legal defense. So it's giving
his lawyers a real headache, I'm sure," he said. [POLITICO's Morning Trade, March 13, 2018]
TRUMP SAYS PUMP UP THE CHINA TARIFFS: President
Donald Trump wants more tariffs. That was the message to U.S. Trade
Representative Robert Lighthizer, who presented a tariff proposal that could
end up hitting $30 billion worth of Chinese imports. But Trump wants a higher
number before he takes action against China, under Section 301 of the Trade Act
of 1974, as soon as the end of next week.
In addition to the tariffs, the Treasury Department is still
working to finalize what could be sweeping restrictions on Chinese investments
as part of the upcoming trade action in response to alleged intellectual
property theft, although they will likely only be introduced "in
concept" as officials continue to consider how broad any action should be,
according to an administration official familiar with the planning.
What's in a number? USTR has calculated tariffs
equivalent to about $30 billion per year, which they say represents the market
value of technology that U.S. companies are forced to hand over each year with
little to no compensation in order to do business in China, according to two of
the administration officials helping to plan the action. Additionally, many of
those tariffs could target products China has designated for support through
its Made in China 2025 plan, which Lighthizer has blasted as a prime example of
China's unbridled industrial policy.
Waiting for China to drop the hammer: Experts
expect China's retaliation to be swift and harsh, especially against U.S.
exporters like U.S. farmers who rely on the Chinese market as a major
destination for soybeans, pork and other commodities.
"I think China is going to have to respond. The question
is, are they going to do that in a targeted way or are they going to escalate
dramatically," said Matthew Goodman, a senior adviser and Asian economic
expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. [POLITICO's Morning Trade, March 14, 2018]
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NOTE: The news sources here vary. Not all sources have the same credibility, but in an effort to share some different perspectives, they are included here. This compendium itself cannot claim to be unbiased. Please take into consideration where these different perspectives originate in assessing their value. Thank you
NOTE: I have no official connection to any organization from which information is shared.. Occasionally, I post informational material and/or an opportunity to donate or join as a "community service" announcement. These again are shared for their varying perspectives.
Any books listed are random or topic-related to something else in the post. Think of these as a "library bookshelf" to browse. They are shared for informational or entertainment value only, not as being recommended
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