Related readings:
- 2023 US Trade Policy Agenda (USTR)
- Remarks by Ambassador Katherine Tai at the National Council of Textile Organizations’ 19th Annual Meeting (2023)
- FACT SHEET: In Year 2, Ambassador Katherine Tai and USTR Continued to Execute President Biden’s Vision for Worker-Centered Trade Policy (2023)
- Timeline of Trade Policy in the Biden Administration (2021–present)
FASH455 Global Apparel & Textile Trade and Sourcing 
I think President Biden has goals and priorities that will benefit American people economically and environmentally.The Biden Administration is prioritizing defending the interest of American workers, producers, and businesses from unfair policies and anti competitive practices. The goal is to restore fairness to trade and economic systems for all the people who work within the industry no matter how big or how small. This is proven by the administration pressing Canada to address US dairy workers unfair treatment. They are working with allies to eliminate forced labor in supply chains globally. As for environmental concerns, they are working on developing an indo-pacific economic framework that will enable the US to work alongside allies in the region on mutual concerns environmentally. Environmental concerns are continuing to grow as more production takes place. The US-EU trade and technology council reached an agreement with the European union on steel and aluminum. This deal addresses over capacity and fighting climate change by aiming towards a new global arrangement to reduce the carbon footprint of these two large production industries. I think the Biden Administration has put great efforts into resolving trade issues and are continuing to set policies in place to benefit the American people.
What the Biden Administration emphasizes the most in their trade policy is ensuring that American workers are being prioritized and heard about their concerns. United State Representative Katherine Tai emphasized that she spent time going around the United States and talking with stakeholders in US trade policy. However, the US Fashion Industry Association argues that despite this claim to focus on the average American worker, the Biden Administration is doing just the opposite by keeping the Section 301 tariffs in place. They claimed that by maintaining tariffs against China imports, specifically within the fashion industry, the government is harming families that struggle the most in the US. Although this argument does hold merit, essentials like clothing prices are being driven up because US fashion companies are choosing to pass on the tariffs to consumers as opposed to at least absorbing some of the costs themselves.