They have happily supported Trump’s corporate tax cuts and moves to loosen environmental and other regulations. Just last week, the sprawling network led by the billionaire industrialist Charles Koch announced the creation of several political action committees focused on policy — including one devoted to free trade — to back Republicans or Democrats who break with Trump’s trade policies. Trump’s boundless enthusiasm for tariffs has upended decades of Republican trade policy that favoured free trade. Trump’s tariffs are taxes paid by American importers and are typically passed along to their customers. But last week’s flareup over the Mexico tariffs may prove to be a pivotal juncture.

Source: National Post June 12, 2019 04:07 UTC