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CSIS Issues Commentary: U.S.-India and EU-India Trade Agreements - Who Won?
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on Feb. 9, 2026, by William Alan Reinsch, Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program:
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U.S.-India and EU-India Trade Agreements: Who Won?
Credit for this week's column idea goes to John Magnus of TradeWins LLC, a long-time trade consultant with an impressive ability to think outside the box. He reminded me that the virtual back-to-back announcements of the European Union-India and the United States-India trade agreements present an unusual opportunity to compare the two and draw
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 11 -- The Center for Strategic and International Studies issued the following commentary on Feb. 9, 2026, by William Alan Reinsch, Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program:
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U.S.-India and EU-India Trade Agreements: Who Won?
Credit for this week's column idea goes to John Magnus of TradeWins LLC, a long-time trade consultant with an impressive ability to think outside the box. He reminded me that the virtual back-to-back announcements of the European Union-India and the United States-India trade agreements present an unusual opportunity to compare the two and drawconclusions about how well each party did and what that says about their respective strategies.
Of course, the now usual caveats apply. The full facts on both agreements are not yet available. The U.S.-India agreement will change depending on Trump's feelings about India from week to week, as we have seen happen with other agreements like those with the United Kingdom, European Union, and South Korea. Finally, there is the all-important implementation question. How much of what has been agreed to will be done; how much will be ignored; and how much will be slow-rolled?
That means it will be fair to complain that everything after this paragraph is speculative and need not be taken seriously. But I'm going to forge ahead anyway.
The EU-India agreement, signed on January 27, is being called the "mother of all deals." It covers about 25 percent of global gross domestic product and includes substantial tariff reductions--on 96.6 percent of EU exports to India and 99.5 percent of India's exports to the European Union. The catch is that not all those reductions will occur immediately. India estimates that 90.7 percent of its exports will benefit from immediate duty elimination, including key items such as textiles, apparel, marine, leather, footwear, chemicals, plastics/rubber, sports goods, toys, gems, and jewelry. India also estimates that only 49.6 percent of its tariff lines will be immediately reduced to zero, with most of the rest subject to 5-, 7-, or 10-year phase-outs, and not always to zero. Auto tariffs, for example, will be reduced from 110 percent to 10 percent over five years, but will also be subject to a 250,000 vehicle annual quota. The European Commission estimates that these reductions will save $4.7 billion annually in tariffs.
The agreement also provides for enhanced access to each other's services markets, and it includes binding commitments on labor rights, climate change, and environmental protection. It maintains EU food safety and sanitary standards and does not reduce tariffs on beef, poultry, rice, and sugar. The services commitments will give EU companies access to India's financial and maritime services markets, among others, and India will get access to 144 services subsectors, including information technology and professional services, as well as improved access for its professionals to the European Union. The European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, as well as other regulatory standards, will continue to apply.
A U.S.-India joint statement on an interim framework agreement was issued on February 6, although signing will not occur until at least next month. That means we should expect further changes. Since this is an interim framework agreement, there are fewer details than in the EU-India case. The main U.S. concession was to reduce the current 50 percent tariff to 18 percent. In addition, the United States promised to remove a number of tariffs once the agreement is completed--including on generic pharmaceuticals, gems and diamonds, and aircraft parts, plus adding a preferential tariff rate quota on auto parts. The statement also holds out the possibility of a further deal on pharmaceuticals and their ingredients.
On the Indian side, the statement indicates that India will "eliminate or reduce tariffs on all U.S. industrial goods and a wide range of U.S. food and agricultural products, including dried distillers' grains (DDGs), red sorghum for animal feed, tree nuts, fresh and processed fruit, soybean oil, wine and spirits, and additional products." This is significant, although the "or reduce" phrase suggests that in the end the reductions may be less than the United States expects.
There is also a commitment to address non-tariff barriers (NTBs), including in areas that have long been points of contention--medical devices, information and communication technology goods, and a review to determine whether U.S. or international standards will be accepted to allow products to enter India in some (not yet identified) sectors. India also commits to reviewing its NTBs on U.S. food and agriculture products. Note that the language, including a commitment to "address" these issues, gives India a degree of flexibility on what it might ultimately do.
The statement confirms India's commitment to buy $500 billion of U.S. goods over five years, although since India's purchases last year were only about $40 billion, that promise may not be realistic. Missing from the statement is any promise to stop Russian oil purchases.
So, who got the better of whom? Assuming it is implemented faithfully--a big assumption--the EU-India deal appears to be a classic win-win trade agreement. Both sides substantially improved their market access, including in some sensitive areas (which is why we should expect vigorous protests in both parties). On tariffs, India appears to have done better. Its new access will be broad, and its concessions are more limited in scope and time than those of the European Union. On services, the European Union may have a slight advantage, although the expanded ability for Indian professionals to move to Europe is significant.
The U.S.-India agreement, if implemented faithfully, would produce more for the United States than the EU-India deal produced for the European Union. While Indian tariffs may end up at zero more broadly, U.S. tariffs remain at a general rate of 18 percent, with some important exemptions that eliminate specific tariff lines. That leaves India largely in line with its regional competitors, which have tariffs only a percentage or two higher, not enough to make a big difference. Indian commitments on NTBs, which are not accompanied by parallel U.S. promises, could give the United States significant inroads into the Indian market.
That suggests the U.S. bullying approach may have produced better results, at least on paper, if the only criterion is how much each side got. From a broader perspective, the EU-India agreement is more likely to stand the test of time and be fully implemented since it is more balanced. The U.S.-India agreement, at least at this point, contains some elastic words that will allow India to do less than Trump says it promised, although that will prompt more threats and bullying. A full evaluation will be the job of future historians, but right now, a fair conclusion is that the EU and U.S. strategies both succeeded, but the United States ended up with a better short-term deal.
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William A. Reinsch is senior adviser and Scholl Chair emeritus with the Economics Program and Scholl Chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C.
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Original text here: https://www.csis.org/analysis/us-india-and-eu-india-trade-agreements-who-won
[Category: ThinkTank]
Ifo Institute: Germany Below EU Average With Regard to Lifelong Learning
MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 10 (TNSxrep) -- ifo Institute issued the following news release:
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Germany Below EU Average With Regard to Lifelong Learning
Only 9.4 percent of all people aged between 25 and 64 participated in continued education in 2024. The EU average is 13.5 percent. Only in Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Greece did the population participate less frequently in continued education on average. The highest continued education rates are in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. "Lifelong learning is crucial for economic adaptability. In some cases, cultural traits, especially patience, influence
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MUNICH, Germany, Feb. 10 (TNSxrep) -- ifo Institute issued the following news release:
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Germany Below EU Average With Regard to Lifelong Learning
Only 9.4 percent of all people aged between 25 and 64 participated in continued education in 2024. The EU average is 13.5 percent. Only in Romania, Croatia, Bulgaria and Greece did the population participate less frequently in continued education on average. The highest continued education rates are in Sweden, Denmark and Finland. "Lifelong learning is crucial for economic adaptability. In some cases, cultural traits, especially patience, influencethe extent to which adults invest in continued education," says ifo researcher Jasmin Vietz.
A new study by the ifo Institute shows that people who are more patient participate more often in continued education. To this end, the study combines the degree of patience from the Global Preferences Survey of immigrants from various countries of origin with data from the German micro census. In this context, patience describes the willingness to forgo immediate gain in order to benefit more in the future. "People from countries of origin with a higher degree of patience are more willing to invest in the long term, even if it involves short-term costs," says Vietz. "More patience significantly increases the willingness to participate in continued education. This effect also remains visible in the second generation of immigrants, albeit somewhat weaker."
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Publikation
2026 Article in Journal
EconPol EN
Culture, Patience, and Lifelong Learning: How Institutional Design Can Support Continued Education
Jasmin Vietz
EconPol Forum 27 (1) 52-57
Learn more (https://www.ifo.de/en/econpol/publications/2026/article-journal/culture-patience-and-lifelong-learning)
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Original text here: https://www.ifo.de/en/press-release/2026-02-09/germany-below-eu-average-regard-lifelong-learning
[Category: ThinkTank]
Housing bill aids affordability through deregulation
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Competitive Enterprise Institute posted the following news release:
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Housing bill aids affordability through deregulation
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Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by 390-9 the bipartisan Housing for the 21 st Century Act. CEI scholars highlight the bill's most notable deregulatory provisions.
CEI Director of Finance Policy John Berlau praised the bill's provisions rolling back red tape on the approval process for new ( de novo ) banks and credit unions - deregulatory changes for which Berlau has long advocated in his writings
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Competitive Enterprise Institute posted the following news release:
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Housing bill aids affordability through deregulation
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Last night, the U.S. House of Representatives passed by 390-9 the bipartisan Housing for the 21 st Century Act. CEI scholars highlight the bill's most notable deregulatory provisions.
CEI Director of Finance Policy John Berlau praised the bill's provisions rolling back red tape on the approval process for new ( de novo ) banks and credit unions - deregulatory changes for which Berlau has long advocated in his writingsand congressional testimony:
"The bill's deregulatory measures on de novo banking are vital first steps in tackling the dearth of new banks and credit unions and a welcome sign that both parties recognize this as a problem for everything from housing to small business capital formation.
"As I have written, only 54 new banks had been approved from 2010 to mid-2025, whereas in the decades before that, more than 100 new banks were approved in a typical year. This lack of competition in the banking sector is creating harmful voids in which many small businesses and consumers can't find banks and credit unions to meet their needs.
"This bill takes meaningful steps to tackle that problem by requiring financial regulatory agencies to assign a caseworker for each application, having the agencies report frequently to Congress on the status of de novo applications, and encouraging phased-in capital for de novo banks."
Steve Swedberg, CEI Finance and Monetary Policy Analyst:
"The Housing for the 21st Century Act takes an important step toward eliminating a burdensome requirement for certain manufactured housing.
"Under current rules, every prefabricated home built under the federal Housing and Urban Development Code must include a permanent steel frame, a mandate that limits design flexibility and increases costs. Removing this requirement gives builders greater freedom in design and construction while lowering production costs by an estimated $5,000-$10,000 per unit. By allowing developers to respond more quickly and efficiently to housing demand, this reform represents a clear deregulatory win."
Related analysis:
Testimony of John Berlau: Enhancing Competition: Shaping the Future of Bank Mergers and De Novo Formation
Harrison Cerone and John Berlau, RealClearMarkets, " Michelle Bowman's Reforms Will Help Reverse Dodd-Frank Damage "
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Original text here: https://cei.org/news_releases/housing-bill-aids-affordability-through-deregulation/
Civil Rights Groups: Millions of Members Demand Change Before Congress Funds DHS
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 [Category: ThinkTank] -- Common Cause posted the following news release:
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Civil Rights Groups: Millions of Members Demand Change Before Congress Funds DHS
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On behalf of its millions of members, Common Cause, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Urban League (NUL), the NAACP, and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation sent a letter to congressional leadership demanding no additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security without a massive overhaul of ICE operations that have led to deadly violence nationwide.
The
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WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 [Category: ThinkTank] -- Common Cause posted the following news release:
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Civil Rights Groups: Millions of Members Demand Change Before Congress Funds DHS
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On behalf of its millions of members, Common Cause, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the National Urban League (NUL), the NAACP, and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation sent a letter to congressional leadership demanding no additional funding for the Department of Homeland Security without a massive overhaul of ICE operations that have led to deadly violence nationwide.
Thegroups cite the killing of two U.S. citizens in 2026 -Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti -by federal immigration enforcement in addition to at least 53 deaths in immigration detention facilities in 2025. They argue these deaths are the foreseeable result of an agency that has expanded rapidly without meaningful guardrails or oversight.
The call comes as Congress negotiates DHS funding following a short-term extension. The advocates argue temporary legislative fixes do not address the underlying crisis and warn against approving new funds without binding conditions.
The groups are calling on congressional leadership to withhold funding for DHS and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement unless the following conditions are met:
* A nationwide halt on ICE surge operations;
* Full cooperation with independent investigations into the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and other civil rights violations;
* The resignation or removal of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem; and
* Comprehensive, structural reforms to impose enforceable accountability across DHS.
Common Cause launched multiple accountability campaigns to fire Kristi Noem and investigate ICE after Border Patrol's killings in Minnesota. Since then, the organization has taken its people-powered message to the streets of Washington, D.C., with a mobile billboard, backed by thousands of Americans writing to their representatives urging immediate action from Congress.
To read the letter, click here.
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Original text here: https://www.commoncause.org/press/civil-rights-groups-millions-of-members-demand-change-before-congress-funds-dhs/
Center of the American Experiment Issues Commentary: Examining Minnesota's 2025 Blue Ribbon School Nominees
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, Feb. 10 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on Feb. 9, 2026, by policy fellow Josiah Padley:
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Examining Minnesota's 2025 Blue Ribbon school nominees
The National Blue Ribbon school certification has been a national recognition of high performance and excellence since 1982. The program, jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) and state Departments of Education, recognized hundreds of public and private schools each year
... Show Full Article
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minnesota, Feb. 10 -- The Center of the American Experiment, a civic and educational organization that says it creates and advocates policies, issued the following commentary on Feb. 9, 2026, by policy fellow Josiah Padley:
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Examining Minnesota's 2025 Blue Ribbon school nominees
The National Blue Ribbon school certification has been a national recognition of high performance and excellence since 1982. The program, jointly administered by the U.S. Department of Education (USED) and state Departments of Education, recognized hundreds of public and private schools each yearfor academic excellence or narrowing gaps in student performance. It served an essential role in allowing communities and parents to immediately recognize trustworthy schools across the nation.
Each National Blue Ribbon public school is nominated by state chief school officers as fulfilling a federal rubric for recognition.
The Trump Department of Education unexpectedly shut down the National Blue Ribbon schools program in August 2025. In the announcement letter, the administration noted that
"The important work of identifying blue ribbon schools is done at the state level."
"In the spirit of Returning Education to the States, USED is ending its role in the program."
Recognition is an important part of creating a culture that values academic excellence. The administration argued that it believes that recognition should be fostered at the local level, saying
"States and associations are encouraged to recognize their nominees for 2025 and creatively fashion new recognition programs to celebrate excellence in their communities."
While Minnesota has not yet announced the creation of an alternative recognition award, Commissioner Willie Jett recognized the eight schools nominated for the 2025 award this week at the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association (MESPA) Institute.
Each school has qualified for the Blue Ribbon Award under a specific category. Two were considered Exemplary High Performing, (which must rank in the top 15 percent of schools in the state for academic performance) and two were considered Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing (which must rank one or more historically underserved student groups in the top 15 percent of schools in the state for academic performance). Four qualified under both categories.
Awards help parents make an informed decision, but they also inform observers about the condition of the state's education system and the metrics that administrators use to recognize quality schools. While Minnesota has not released a comprehensive analysis of why these schools were chosen, federal Blue Ribbon Award guidelines provide a framework. For the purposes of nomination, state administrators are allowed to define a "historically underserved student group" for their state and can choose to calculate academic proficiency by using state test reading and math scores separately, combined, or combined with other indicators like graduation rates.
Below are Minnesota's 2025 Blue Ribbon Award School Nominees. (All assessment results listed include the MCA, the ALTMCA, and the MTAS. The ALTMCA and the MTAS are calibrated to be grade level appropriate assessments for children with learning differences.)
Category: Exemplary High Performing
A school in this category must be in the top 15 percent of schools regarding academic achievement, top 40 percent of schools regarding the academic performance of historically underserved student groups, and, if applicable, the top 15 percent of schools regarding high school graduation rates.
In Minnesota, according to 2025 state testing scores, 49.6 percent of students are proficient in reading, and 45.2 percent are proficient in mathematics.
Dakota Hills Middle School, Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District
Dakota Hills Middle had 58.7 percent of students test as proficient in mathematics and 62.9 percent test as proficient in reading in 2025.
Demographically, 64.9 percent of Dakota Hills Middle students are White, 12.5 percent Asian, and 7 percent Hispanic or Latino, with the remaining percentages representing Black and American Indian students. Mathematics proficiency for Asian students in 2025 was 71.6 percent (down about eight percentage points since 2021) and reading proficiency was 69.6 percent, (down about eleven percentage points since 2021). Mathematics proficiency for Hispanic or Latino students in 2025 was 28.2 percent (up about twelve percentage points since 2021) and reading proficiency was 35.9 percent (up about nine percentage points since 2021).
Pike Lake Elementary, Proctor Public Schools
Pike Lake Elementary had 79.7 percent of students test as proficient in mathematics and 63.2 percent test as proficient in reading in 2025.
Demographically, 94.5 percent of Pike Lake Elementary students are White, 1.7 percent Hispanic or Latino, and 1 percent Black, with the remaining percentages representing students of two or more races. The low number of minority students mean that the number of tests and test scores are too small to report for privacy reasons.
Category: Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools
A school in this category must be in the top 15 percent of schools in the state regarding the academic achievement of one or more historically underserved student groups, top 40 percent in the state regarding the academic achievement of each historically underserved student group, and, if applicable, the top 40 percent of schools regarding high school graduation rates of historically underserved student groups. Whole school improvement must equal or exceed state improvement.
In Minnesota, according to 2025 state testing scores, 49.6 percent of all students are proficient in reading, and 45.2 percent are proficient in mathematics. Minnesota consistently struggles to serve some student groups. In 2025, 22.5 percent of all Black students were proficient in mathematics, and 31 percent were proficient in reading. In 2025, 22.4 percent of all Hispanic students were proficient in mathematics, and 28.7 percent were proficient in reading. In 2025, 24.9 percent of American Indian students were proficient in mathematics and 33.1 percent in reading.
Browns Valley Elementary School, Browns Valley School District
Browns Valley Elementary School had 50 percent of their students test as proficient in mathematics and 35 percent as proficient in reading in 2025.
Demographically, 60.9 percent of Browns Valley Elementary School students are American Indian and 39.5 percent are White, with the remaining percentages representing students that are Asian or Pacific Islander. Mathematics proficiency for American Indian students in 2025 was 41.7 percent and reading proficiency was 29.2 percent. Mathematics scores rose about 20 percentage points for American Indian students since 2021 and reading scores declined about a percentage point.
Kennedy Elementary School, Mankato Public School District
Kennedy Elementary School had 77.7 percent of their students test as proficient in mathematics and 61.5 percent as proficient in reading in 2025.
Demographically, 53.6 percent of Kennedy Elementary School students are White, 22.5 percent Black, and 12.4 percent Hispanic, with the remaining percentages representing students of many different demographic types. Mathematics proficiency for Black students in 2025 was 58.7 percent (rising 13 percentage points since 2021) and reading was 45.7 percent (rising about 6 percentage points since 2021). Mathematics proficiency for Hispanic students in 2025 was 66.7 percent (rising a dramatic 40 plus percentage points since 2021) and reading was 54.2 percent (rising about six percentage points since 2021).
Category: Exemplary High Performing and Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools
A school in this category must qualify for the Blue Ribbon Award under both the Exemplary High Performing category and the Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing category.
In Minnesota, according to 2025 state testing scores, 49.6 percent of all students are proficient in reading, and 45.2 percent are proficient in mathematics. Minnesota consistently struggles to serve some student groups. In 2025, 22.5 percent of all Black students were proficient in mathematics, and 31 percent were proficient in reading. In 2025, 22.4 percent of all Hispanic students were proficient in mathematics, and 28.7 percent were proficient in reading. In 2025, 24.9 percent of American Indian students were proficient in mathematics and 33.1 percent in reading.
Forest Hills Elementary School, Eden Prairie Public Schools
Forest Hills Elementary School had 82.8 percent of their students test as proficient in mathematics and 68.2 percent test as proficient in reading in 2025.
Demographically, 43.6 percent of Forest Hills Elementary students are White, 21.6 percent Black, and 13.9 percent Asian, with the remaining percentages representing Hispanic, American Indian, or Pacific Islander students. Mathematics proficiency for Black students in 2025 is 74.5 percent (risen, impressively, from 2021's 23.8 percent proficiency rate) and reading proficiency is 50.9 percent (risen 9 percentage points since 2021). 2025 mathematics proficiency for Asian students is 85.7 percent (risen 25 percentage points since 2021) and reading proficiency is 59.5 percent (dropped 13 percentage points since 2021).
Clearly, Forest Hills has an excellent math teacher on the premises!
Hassan Elementary, Elk River Public School District
Hassan Elementary had 78.4 percent of their students test as proficient in mathematics and 64.6 percent in reading in 2025.
Demographically, 72.6 percent of Hassan Elementary students are White, and 10.6 percent are Black, with the remaining percentages representing students of many different demographic types. Mathematics proficiency for Black students in 2025 is 60.7 percent (up from 2021's 26.7 percent) and reading proficiency is 35.7 percent (up two percentage points since 2021).
Northfield Middle School, Northfield Public School District
Northfield Middle had 58.2 percent of their students test as proficient in mathematics and 61.9 percent test as proficient in reading in 2025.
Demographically, 76.4 percent of Northfield Middle students are White, and 13.8 percent are Hispanic, with the remaining percentages representing students of many different demographic types. Mathematics proficiency for Hispanic students in 2025 is 28.4 percent, up about ten percentage points since 2021, and reading proficiency is 38.5 percent, up about seven percentage points since 2021).
Valley Crossing Elementary School, South Washington County Schools
Valley Crossing Elementary School had 79.9 percent of students test as proficient in mathematics and 74.5 percent test as proficient in reading in 2025.
Demographically, 54.4 percent of Valley Crossing Elementary School students are White, 20.4 percent are Asian, and 8.7 percent are Black, with the remaining percentages representing students who are Hispanic, American Indian, or of two or more races. Mathematics proficiency for Asian students in 2025 was 85.2 percent (down about five percentage points since 2021) and reading proficiency was 76.1 percent (down fourteen percentage points since 2021). Mathematics proficiency for Black students in 2025 was 61.4 percent (down seven percentage points since 2021) and reading proficiency for Black students was also 61.4 percent, (down fourteen percentage points since 2021).
Conclusions
Earning the title of a Blue Ribbon school is a great accomplishment, and all eight schools listed here should be congratulated.
However, from a policy perspective, some of the scores seen here are worth a lengthy pause.
In a better world, any school that has two out of five students score below grade level proficiency in mathematics would not qualify for an exemplary award: yet three schools listed here fall into that category. When only one in five Black or Hispanic students in the state at grade level for mathematics, perhaps the fact that, in a few of these Blue Ribbon nominees, the number rises to two or three out of five is impressive enough to qualify for the top award. Yet these designations seem to highlight Minnesota's low state averages and consistent difficulties educating minority students.
Several schools listed have seen impressive score increases, and several more have commendable across-the-board performances. However, a school is eligible to win Blue Ribbon recognition every five years, meaning that almost every Minnesota school was in the running for this year. Is one of our eight most impressive schools truly a school where only three out of five students can read and write at grade level?
As my colleague Catrin Wigfall has pointed out, Minnesota's past Blue Ribbon School nominees have also raised eyebrows for poor academic performances.
However, it's true that some of these schools were chosen in order to highlight the progress that historically underserved groups have made under the academic programs unique to that school. Serving these at-need students is a worthy goal, and those schools are worth commending. It might be worthwhile for these schools to publicize their curriculum and pedagogical practices. (For example, Forest Hills Elementary's mathematics program appears worthy of replication.)
As the Minnesota Department of Education considers creating a state-based equivalent to the Blue Ribbon school designation, perhaps a two-award system would be helpful: one award for schools that close achievement gaps, and another award for across-the-board academic performance.
As we celebrate these schools, let us also plan for even stronger academic foundations in the future.
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Josiah Padley is a Policy Fellow at Center of the American Experiment.
josiah.padley@americanexperiment.org
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Original text here: https://www.americanexperiment.org/examining-minnesotas-2025-blue-ribbon-school-nominees/
[Category: ThinkTank]
CPA Applauds Administration's Recognition of Pharmaceuticals Import Risk in India Interim Agreement
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Coalition for a Prosperous America posted the following news release:
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CPA Applauds Administration's Recognition of Pharmaceuticals Import Risk in India Interim Agreement
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) commends the Trump administration and U.S. Department of Commerce for recognizing our massive reliance on foreign imports of generic pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients, particularly from India. This dependence poses a growing threat to U.S. national security, supply chain resilience, and economic
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 [Category: ThinkTank] -- The Coalition for a Prosperous America posted the following news release:
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CPA Applauds Administration's Recognition of Pharmaceuticals Import Risk in India Interim Agreement
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) commends the Trump administration and U.S. Department of Commerce for recognizing our massive reliance on foreign imports of generic pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients, particularly from India. This dependence poses a growing threat to U.S. national security, supply chain resilience, and economiccompetitiveness. This acknowledgment comes in last week's United States-India Joint Leaders' Statement. Unlike the US-EU Joint Statement from August 2025, which promised Europe a 15% ad valorem tariff ceiling in the Pharmaceutical Section 232 action, the US-India Statement promised India only that it would receive a "negotiated outcome." This is compatible with CPA's recommendation in the Section 232 Pharmaceutical action that the Administration deploy quotas to limit access to the U.S. market.
CPA believes the goal for essential medicines should be domestic self-reliance, not mutually beneficial trade. Allowing imports to displace U.S. pharmaceuticals risks exacerbating the very vulnerabilities our nation confronted during the COVID-19 pandemic. India remains one of the largest global exporters of generic drugs and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), a market share that today accounts for a significant portion of U.S. generics supply.
U.S. companies are rapidly searching for ways to reduce reliance on foreign suppliers like China and India, who are undercutting American producers and dominating the market for nearly 70-80% of our essential medicines. These Indian and Chinese suppliers also operate at a much lower safety level that is not equivalent with U.S. standards. Indian-made generics are found to have a 54% higher rate of severe adverse events compared to U.S.-made drugs.
"This Interim Agreement framework reflects a long overdue acknowledgment that essential medicine supply chains cannot be left to foreign dominance, particularly by India or an adversary like China," said Jon Toomey, President of CPA. "For decades, U.S. policymakers and industry have outsourced the production of generic drugs and key inputs to a small number of foreign producers. That has cost American jobs, hollowed out domestic manufacturing capacity, and left patients vulnerable to supply disruptions and foreign producers that have repeatedly failed basic safety standards."
Since April of last year, CPA has backed the Department of Commerce's initiation of a Section 232 national security investigation into imports of pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients, assessing the effects of import reliance on domestic supply, national security, and public health. Under this 232, the administration is exploring whether additional measures - including tariffs, quotas, or other safeguards - are necessary to protect America's health industrial base.
CPA has called upon the administration to use the full scope of Section 232 authority to implement a tiered quota on imports of generic pharmaceuticals and key pharmaceutical ingredients that will build U.S. capacity in the long-term and secure safe supply standards in the short-term. Such a quota, calibrated to U.S. production capacity and national security needs, would help rebuild domestic manufacturing, provide reliable access to essential medicines from domestic or trusted, high-standard sources, and reduce strategic dependency on risky and adversarial foreign suppliers.
"Protecting Americans' access to affordable medicines should not come at the cost of surrendering our capacity to produce those medicines domestically and safely," said Toomey. "Placing a quota on pharmaceutical imports, one that truly rewards and incentivizes U.S. manufacturing, while protecting against foreign overcapacity, will ultimately strengthen supply chain resilience." Toomey continued, "Generic drugs today are the backbone of affordable healthcare in the United States, but if we allow that to be underwritten almost entirely by a small number of foreign suppliers, we risk shortages, price shocks, and strategic vulnerability in times of global stress."
CPA continues to urge the administration, the Bureau of Industry and Security at the Department of Commerce, and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to move forward with targeted quota proposals as part of the pharmaceutical Section 232 process. Doing so would signal to India - as well as to China and to others - that the United States is serious about protecting domestic industrial capacity, securing critical supply chains, and putting American workers and patients first.
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Original text here: https://prosperousamerica.org/cpa-applauds-administrations-recognition-of-pharmaceuticals-import-risk-in-india-interim-agreement/
America First Policy Institute Issues Commentary: Clear Horizons Act Is a Clear Warning
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following excerpts of a commentary on Feb. 9, 2026, by Vincent Torres, executive director of the New Mexico state chapter, and Ted Ellis, Power America campaign director, to the New Mexico Sentinel:
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The Clear Horizons Act Is a Clear Warning
New Mexico does not need a new way to make energy scarce. Senate Bill 18, branded as the "Clear Horizons Act," would write an economy-wide emissions mandate into law and then hand regulators the power to re-engineer how New Mexicans produce and use energy. The bill sets statewide emissions
... Show Full Article
WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 -- The America First Policy Institute issued the following excerpts of a commentary on Feb. 9, 2026, by Vincent Torres, executive director of the New Mexico state chapter, and Ted Ellis, Power America campaign director, to the New Mexico Sentinel:
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The Clear Horizons Act Is a Clear Warning
New Mexico does not need a new way to make energy scarce. Senate Bill 18, branded as the "Clear Horizons Act," would write an economy-wide emissions mandate into law and then hand regulators the power to re-engineer how New Mexicans produce and use energy. The bill sets statewide emissionscaps pegged to 2005 levels and ratchets them tighter, to "one hundred percent less," by mid-century, effectively turning "net zero" into a legal requirement. In plain English, it is an energy-rationing bill dressed up as a feel-good slogan.
To see why, start with what the bill actually does: far more than to simply "set goals." It orders a statewide plan and creates a new regulatory system to force compliance, including emissions tracking, verification, and enforcement backed by fees and penalties. It also opens the door to trading, averaging, and offset-style mechanisms, meaning the practical result is similar to a cap-and-trade program even if lawmakers avoid that label.
The worst pain point would be the cost to New Mexican families. When a state starts policing energy use across the economy, the first effect is higher bills. Electricity gets more expensive when utilities are pushed away from the most affordable, dependable supply and toward a narrower menu of options that prioritize ideological targets over cost and reliability.
To read the full article, click here (https://www.nmsentinel.com/2026/02/09/the-clear-horizons-act-is-a-clear-warning/).
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Vincent Torres serves as executive director of the America First Policy Institute's New Mexico state chapter.
Ted Ellis serves as director for the Power America campaign at the America First Policy Institute.
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Original text here: https://www.americafirstpolicy.com/issues/the-clear-horizons-act-is-a-clear-warning
[Category: ThinkTank]
