Economics
Pandemic’s Economic Toll Sparks New Call in U.S. to Abolish WTO
- Senator says WTO oversees system that’s failed U.S. workers
- Congress can this year introduce vote to withdraw WTO support
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The World Trade Organization is coming under fresh criticism from Washington, this time from a Midwestern lawmaker who sees the coronavirus pandemic as an opportunity to rebuild America’s standing in the global economy.
Senator Josh Hawley, writing in the New York Times op-ed page on Tuesday, called for the abolition of the WTO, blaming the Geneva-based arbiter of international commerce for overseeing a system that he argued has failed American workers. The U.S. needs to stop Chinese imperialism and renegotiate trade deals with allies, he wrote, saying that “abandoning the WTO is a start.”