Donald Trump’s Cabinet Picks Disagree With President-Elect on Some Key Issues

The president-elect’s pick for budget director, Rep. Mick Mulvaney (R., S.C.), has opposed raising the debt ceiling, but Mr. Trump has proposed steep tax cuts and large increases in defense and infrastructure spending that many economists believe will cause the deficit to grow.

Several of his cabinet selections backed a trade deal negotiated by President Barack Obama with Asian nations, which Mr. Trump opposed and has vowed to abandon.

 ..Thomas Barrack, a longtime Trump friend and chairman of the inaugural committee, said the president-elect manages with an “open door” policy, where aides debate the merits of proposals while Mr. Trump “curates” the information and makes a final decision.
..Monitoring one potentially rogue agency could be challenging for any new administration, and Mr. Trump may need to keep an eye on several of them to ensure they promote policies in line with his promises and not the preferences of his appointees.
.. “This is a great, unanswered question,” said David Axelrod, who was a top adviser to Mr. Obama. “It seems that Trump does not come to this with a well-developed philosophy so much as a well-conceived marketing strategy. Now there will be a behind-the-scenes battle to fill in the void that will mirror the battle between factions of the Republican Party.
.. Wilbur Ross, his selection for commerce secretary; Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, who’s been tapped to become ambassador to China; and his selection for defense secretary, retired Gen. James Mattis, have all spoken favorably of the Obama administration’s proposed trade deal with Asian countries,
.. His pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, has called a federal policy that forces increased use of ethanol and other biofuels into the U.S. fuel supply “unworkable” and backed a 2013 lawsuit challenging the measure.
.. But, before the first caucuses during his early Republican primary fights, Mr. Trump told Iowans supporting the ethanol mandate he was “with you 100%.”
..it isn’t out of the ordinary for presidents to appoint cabinet members with differing viewpoints.What is unusual about the incoming Trump administration, he said, is that his core White House leadership team doesn’t have the administrative background that’s useful in managing policy differences.

“The key here is not the fact that these are smart, successful people who view the world differently,” Mr. Naftali said. “That’s not new. It’s the fact that the center of the operation has absolutely no experience managing policy differences.”

An additional concern, he said, is that Mr. Trump may permit people to approach him through back channels that disrupt an “orderly policy process.”

How to fix the most controversial element of trade deals

Under the Equitable Investment Act, in contrast, a U.S. court would be empowered to set aside the arbitrators’ award if Argentine consumer groups showed it would harm their interests in a stable financial system back home.

.. Moreover, in a separate scuffle, a bipartisan coalition is poised to override President Obama’s veto of a bill shredding the sovereign immunity in U.S. courts of foreign states linked to terrorism. With this standoff, legislators have shown themselves willing to strain diplomatic ties and risk loss of foreign sovereigns’ investment in the U.S.

.. Most important, the Convention would fix ISDS’ double standard. Instead of foreign investors enjoying rights that domestic investors, unions and environmental groups don’t, the pact would level the playing field. Just as an investor can now ask a tribunal to determine whether capital controls violate a state’s obligations, a union would be able to request a second opinion on collective bargaining rights. An environmental NGO could shine a spotlight on weak carbon emissions plans. And domestic investors could complain about preferential treatment received by wealthy foreign companies. These rulings will allow citizens to name and shame bad governments without compromising sovereignty.

 

 

If T.P.P. Crumbles, China Wins

Developed economies face huge problems that have produced this season of rage. But the world has enjoyed growing prosperity over decades because of continuously reduced trade barriers. A reversal would be the road to conflict. Like the best trade accords, the Trans-Pacific Partnership is also a strategic boost to liberty and stability in the fastest-growing part of the globe. Congress should resist populist ranting and ratify it.

.. “The best that can be said about this is that it was probably a tactical cave-in she would reverse if she wins.”

This is why Americans don’t trust their government with free trade agreements. Proponents are always selling the benefits, downplaying the drawbacks, and promising safeguards and enforcement that never get triggered. When presidents have to choose between protecting American jobs or playing The Great Game, the latter always wins. Cultivating alliances; expanding prestige, power, and influence; and maintaining the New World Order always come first. We can’t risk offending our “allies” by calling them on the carpet for cheating.