White House may ignore some WTO decisions

Abstract

The Trump Administration’s new “America first” trade policy means the U.S. will not necessarily comply with rulings made by the World Trade Organization (WTO), according to a report the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative sent to Congress. Challenging the authority of the WTO, which regulates trade and resolves disputes among its members, signals a sharp break from past U.S. policy. “Ever since the United States won its independence, it has been a basic principle of our country that American citizens are subject only to laws and regulations made by the U.S. government—not rulings made by foreign governments or international bodies,” the document says. “The Trump Administration will aggressively defend American sovereignty over matters of trade policy.” The report says the Administration will work to eliminate trade barriers that unfairly block U.S. exports while strictly enforcing domestic trade laws to prevent its markets from being “distorted by dumped and/or subsidized