Chamber of Commerce Lobbies Joe Biden: Return U.S. to Free Trade Consensus

The United States Chamber of Commerce is lobbying for a return to the job-killing free trade consensus that has governed the Washington, DC, political establishments for three decades as the group seeks to cozy up to the incoming Biden administration.

At an annual speaking engagement, Chamber of Commerce CEO Thomas Donohue lobbied for a return to the free trade consensus that was stopped dead in its tracks by President Trump’s economic nationalist agenda — which included regularly imposing tariffs on foreign imports and pressuring multinational corporations to reshore their manufacturing base back to the U.S.

Donohue said the U.S. “in recent years our resilience has been tested through trade wars and tariffs” while calling for the elimination of Trump’s tariffs and a reengagement with global organizations like the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

The statements come as the Chamber of Commerce seeks a friendly relationship with the incoming Biden administration. Most recently, the group endorsed President-elect Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion Chinese coronavirus relief package, which does not include $2,000 stimulus checks for each American — as Trump had wanted — but instead offers $1,400 checks.

“We look forward to working with the new administration and Congress on the details and in ensuring that any additional economic assistance is timely, targeted, and temporary,” Chamber of Commerce executives said in a statement.

The Chamber of Commerce is also wanting to help Biden with expanding legal immigration levels beyond their already historical high where more than 1.2 million legal immigrants are given green cards every year and another 1.4 million foreign workers are awarded visas annually.

“We fought vigorously and successfully against actions by the Trump administration to severely limit legal immigration, and we will work cooperatively with the Biden administration to reform our immigration system to meet the needs of our modern economy,” Donohue said.

Their free trade lobbying efforts may hit a wall as incoming United States Trade Representative (USTR) Katherine Tai, supported by outgoing USTR Robert Lighthizer, has suggested that she will seek a trade agenda in tune with Trump’s focus on American workers, U.S. wages, and enforcement.

Tai, though, is likewise expected to be met with obstacles as Biden stacks his administration with Washington, DC, insiders, corporate allies, and Wall Street alumni, all of which tend to unanimously back a globalist free trade agenda that widens profit margins for businesses while crushing job prospects for Americans.

Since 2001, U.S. free trade with China has eliminated at least 3.4 million American jobs. In 1985, before China entered the WTO, the U.S. trade deficit with China totaled $6 billion. In 2019, the U.S. trade deficit with China totaled more than $345 billion.

American manufacturing is vital to the U.S. economy, as every one manufacturing job supports an additional 7.4 American jobs in other industries.

John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter at @JxhnBinder.