Episode description

In the latest episode of “Talking Trade,” Michael Best Strategies Principal Mike Dankler says a federal review of Section 301 tariffs on China could be “a sign of some tariff-liftings to come.”

Federal officials recently opened a comment period on these tariffs, and Dankler says Michael Best Strategies has been encouraging clients to apply to submit comments on this process.  

“I think there’s a lot of people hoping that they may use it to rebalance things somehow, maybe use it as pretext to reopen an exclusion process,” he said. “As we’ve been telling clients, there’s an old political adage that, ‘if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.’” 

Dankler also discusses potential actions federal lawmakers could take related to trade regulations and programs in the wake of the recent midterm elections. And he touches on the possibility for a rail worker strike and how Congress may respond. 

He also explains the chair position for the House Ways and Means Committee is up for grabs between three lawmakers from Missouri, Florida and Nebraska. 

“All of them are likely to chart kind of a free-trader type of path on trade policy,” he said.