Joe Biden Once Understood Why Tariffs Are Bad. Then He Got Trade Policy Amnesia.
Despite campaigning against Donald Trump's tariff hikes, Biden left many of them in place.
Protectionism
You Don't Beat China by Copying China
Xi Jinping’s neo-mercantilist policies are destructive, not productive.
China Goes Tit for Tat Over U.S. Chip Bans
Semiconductor protectionism is a downward spiral that makes both parties poorer.
If Kamala Harris Wants To Lower Energy Costs in Puerto Rico, She Should Support the Repeal of the Jones Act
For decades, the Jones Act has increased costs and hurt grid reliability in Puerto Rico.
Can the U.S. Government Tell Chinese People Apart?
Drone maker DJI claims the Pentagon has unfairly smeared it as an arm of the Chinese military based on a mix-up of Chinese names.
Trump Floats Tax Break for Carmakers Hurt by His Own Trade Deal
After proposing a deduction for interest paid on car loans, the former president suggested it would apply only to vehicles made in America.
Archaic Federal Law Keeps Alaskans From Using Abundant Natural Gas Reserves
The Jones Act makes the North Slope’s resources inaccessible to the state’s energy-starved residents.
Big Pot vs. Big Government in Florida
Mom-and-pop marijuana operations do not exist in Florida. That's by design.
Chip Mellor's Legacy Promotes a Broader Concept of Civil Liberties
For more than three decades, the Institute for Justice has shown that economic freedom and private property are essential safeguards for ordinary Americans.
Biden's Top Trade Official Just Admitted Tariffs Haven't Changed China's Behavior
Katherine Tai said tariffs were "leverage" against China, but now she admits that China hasn't made "any changes to its fundamental systemic structural policies."
Federal 'Buy American' Rules Cost Over $100,000 Per Job Created
Eliminate the domestic content requirements of the Buy American Act, don't expand them.
J.D. Vance Is Wrong About Toasters—and Global Manufacturing
Trump's protectionist running mate comes out against “cheap, knockoff toasters” and common sense.
Commerce Department Bans Chinese Car Components
Commerce Secretary Raimondo insists the rule "is a strictly national security action."
Season 2, Episode 1 Free Markets
Why We Can't Have Nice Things: Can Mark Cuban Make Prescriptions Affordable Again?
Cuban's Cost Plus Drugs project brings a bit of free market flair to the health care industry, but the lack of meaningful price signals is only part of the problem.
Season 2 Podcasts
Trailer: Why We Can't Have Nice Things Season 2
A new season brings six new stories about how the government is making Americans poorer and sicker.
Trump and Harris' Economic Plans Are Depressingly Similar
Both campaigns represent variations on a theme of big, fiscally irresponsible, hyper-interventionist government.
Americans' Support for Tariffs Plummets When They See Prices Rise
A new poll challenges the protectionist narrative currently dominating both sides of the political aisle.
Trade, Public Opinion, and Political Ignorance
A new Cato Institute/YouGov survey finds contradictory attitudes on trade policy, and widespread ignorance. The survey also suggests a potentially promising political strategy for free trade advocates.
The 'Pro-Worker' GOP Is Anti-Worker
The New Right talks a big populist game, but their policies hurt the people they're supposed to help.
Trump Promises To Get Rid of Bad Regulations. Can He Deliver?
Growth of regulation slowed under former President Trump, but it still increased.
GOP VP Nominee J. D. Vance is an Enemy of Free Markets
The Ohio Senator is one of the Party's leading advocates of protectionism, economic planning, and immigration restrictions.
Vivek Ramaswamy Debuts 'National Libertarianism' at NatCon 4
"I don’t care to replace a left-wing nanny state with a right-wing nanny state," the onetime presidential hopeful said this week.
Biden and Trump Are Both Disastrously Wrong About Tariffs
Yes, cheap imports hurt some American companies. But protectionist trade policy harms many more Americans than it helps.
My New Dispatch Article on Why Nationalism is a Bigger Menace than Wokeness
Both ideologies are bad. But one is a much greater danger than the other.
Craft Distilleries Fight for Survival Amid Crushing Regulations
Once booming, the industry now faces closures and stifling market access due to outdated laws and burdensome middlemen.
The Real Reason for Self-Checkout Bans
It isn't about stopping crime—it's about protecting a favored constituency's jobs.
Alabama Governor Signs Bill Banning Lab-Grown Meat
Lab-grown meat bans don't protect consumers, but they do protect ranchers and farmers from competition.
Is Chinese Garlic a Threat to National Security?
Plus, an AI-generated recipe for garlic lovers' shrimp scampi
Ron DeSantis Says Letting People Buy Cultivated Meat Is Like Forcing Them To Eat Bugs
Florida’s protectionist ban on the nascent industry sacrifices conservative principles in the name of a culture war that politicizes everything.
Big Beer vs. Canned Cocktails in the Grocery Aisle
Uncovering Big Beer’s crafty campaign to limit consumer access to canned cocktails.
Worst 4/20 Ever
Plus: A listener asks the editors to steel man the case for the Jones Act, an antiquated law that regulates maritime commerce in U.S. waters.
Trump's and Biden's Terrible Tariffs
Plus: A listener asks if Trump or Biden have done anything to secure the blessings of liberty.
The Obscure Protectionist Law That Will Slow Clean-up of the Baltimore Bridge Disaster
The best time to repeal the Foreign Dredge Act was before the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed. The next best time to repeal it is right now.
America's Drone Industry Is Trying To Ban the Competition
Chinese camera drones are the most popular worldwide. American drone manufacturers argue that's a national security threat.
Opposition to U.S. Steel Sale Shows How Similar Biden and Trump Are on Trade
Economic nationalists are claiming the deal endangers "national security" to convince Americans that a good deal for investors, employees, and the U.S. economy will somehow make America less secure. That's nonsense.
The Political Right Has Luxury Beliefs, Too
Support for industrial policy and protectionism are supposed to help the working class. Instead, these ideas elevate the already privileged.
Milei's Free Market Reforms Can Reshape Argentine Cinema
Decades of protectionism have led to the film industry’s decline, but a free market can make it bloom.
Biden Pours Out Another $6.5 Billion for the CHIPS Act's Costly Protectionism
It's part of the government's expensive public-private partnership meant to address concerns over a reliance on foreign countries, like China, for semiconductors.
A Rare Win for Sanity in U.S. Tariff Policy
The U.S. International Trade Commission voted unanimously to reject a nakedly protectionist proposal that would have made canned goods more expensive.
Trump's Terrible, Popular Tariffs
Plus: A listener asks if it should become the norm for all news outlets to require journalists to disclose their voting records.
Argentina, Once One of the Richest Countries, Is Now One of the Poorest. Javier Milei Could Help Fix That.
The new libertarian president believes in free markets and the rule of law. When people have those things, prosperity happens.
On Economic Issues, the Populist Right and Left Share a Lot of Common Ground
That's bad news for Americans.
Biden Considering Higher Tariffs on E.V.s Imported from China, Raising Prices for Americans
Tariffs of 25 percent introduced under Donald Trump have been allowed to remain in place, and Biden may tack on even more to shield American firms from competition.
New Tariffs on Tin Cans Get Biden Administration Approval
There's no good reason for the government to block Americans' access to cheaper tin cans.
Protectionism Ruined U.S. Steel
Another round of federal intervention to prevent its sale makes no sense.
Starting Next Year, You Can Buy a Car on Amazon
While the partnership between Hyundai and Amazon is a good first step, states should get rid of laws that mandate franchise dealerships.
Both Republicans and Democrats Want 'Buy American' Provisions for E.V. Chargers
When the Biden administration temporarily suspended its own protectionist policies, Senate Republicans voted to reinstate them.
John Fetterman Thinks You're Too Dumb To Understand That Vegan 'Milk' Isn't Dairy
The DAIRY PRIDE Act says it wants to protect consumers. In reality, it's trying to protect dairy farmers from economic competition.
