ITIF submitted comments to the International Trade Administration pursuant to the Trump administration's investigation of significant trade deficits with certain nations. The filing urges the administration to: 1) Focus on the overall U.S. trade balance and health of U.S. traded sectors; 2) Recognize that sustained trade deficits are concerning, representing debts future generations of Americans must repay; 3) Place primary attention on countries which aggressively use innovation mercantilist trade practices, not on countries running trade surpluses largely as a result of legitimate comparative advantage in certain sectors; 4) Focus on advanced-technology industries that are the most critical to the U.S. economy; and 5) Develop a focused U.S. trade strategy tied to an overall industrial and competitiveness strategy.
