United States Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer formally presented the Trump administration’s 2025 Trade Policy Agenda to Congress, along with the 2024 Annual Report and a special report titled “World Trade Organization at Thirty.” The documents reflect a continued commitment to President Donald Trump’s “America First” doctrine and outline a strategic recalibration of trade policy intended to confront what the administration views as urgent economic and national security challenges.
The agenda marks a definitive continuation of the administration’s protectionist stance, emphasizing trade enforcement, strategic decoupling from geopolitical adversaries, and reshoring critical supply chains. It also serves as a roadmap for the administration’s broader effort to reshape global trade norms and reassert American dominance in strategic industries.
Key Elements of the 2025 Trade Agenda
At the heart of the policy agenda is a reaffirmation of the Trump administration’s belief that past trade deals have disadvantaged American workers and ceded economic leverage to rival powers, particularly China. The agenda calls for:
- Tightened trade enforcement: A renewed push to use tariffs, sanctions, and trade remedies to penalize foreign competitors accused of unfair practices.
- Reshoring critical industries: Incentives and trade barriers to support the domestic production of pharmaceuticals, semiconductors, rare earth materials, and defense-related technologies.
- Bilateral agreements over multilateralism: A preference for country-to-country trade deals that the administration believes offer more control and accountability than broader, multinational pacts.
- WTO skepticism: Calls for major reforms at the World Trade Organization, which the report describes as “increasingly dysfunctional and misaligned with U.S. strategic priorities.”
Greer emphasized that U.S. trade policy will now be explicitly tied to national security assessments, marking a sharp divergence from traditional economic-based trade models.
“America First” as a Global Trade Philosophy
The 2025 agenda frames the “America First” policy not only as a domestic economic imperative but also as a geopolitical strategy. According to the report, the U.S. must “no longer allow trade dependence on nations that threaten its sovereignty, stability, or values.”
This approach has already manifested in recent trade actions, including new tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and the European Union, as well as ongoing export controls targeting Chinese technology firms. The administration asserts that these actions are necessary to protect domestic interests and prevent foreign adversaries from leveraging supply chains as instruments of influence or coercion.
Supporters of the agenda argue that it has empowered American industries and restored leverage in trade negotiations. Critics, however, warn that it risks further isolating the U.S. from global markets and could provoke retaliatory measures that harm both exporters and consumers.
Congressional and Industry Response
Reactions to the report have split largely along partisan lines. Republican lawmakers praised the administration’s hardline approach and focus on economic sovereignty, while many Democrats expressed concerns about the potential fallout for farmers, manufacturers, and multinational companies dependent on stable international trade relationships.
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), a staunch advocate for worker protections, noted that while the emphasis on labor rights is welcome, the administration’s broader approach could “undermine vital alliances and trigger inflationary shocks.”
Business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Foreign Trade Council, urged the administration to balance enforcement with diplomatic engagement to avoid supply disruptions and market volatility.
The WTO at Thirty: Reform or Retreat?
Accompanying the agenda was a detailed report assessing the role of the World Trade Organization three decades after its founding. The USTR report described the WTO as “outdated and ineffective,” citing its inability to address modern issues such as digital trade, forced labor, and state-subsidized industries.
The administration is calling for either sweeping reforms to the WTO’s dispute resolution process and rule-making authority or a rethinking of U.S. participation altogether. Observers say this posture signals a potential further U.S. withdrawal from multilateral institutions unless reforms are enacted soon.
Outlook
As global economic tensions continue to evolve, the 2025 Trade Policy Agenda sets the tone for what is likely to be a turbulent period in international trade. The administration’s aggressive stance may resonate with voters seeking job protection and national self-sufficiency, but it also raises the stakes for American exporters and multinational firms operating in an increasingly fragmented global marketplace.
How Congress and global partners respond to this latest iteration of the “America First” agenda will determine whether the U.S. can achieve its stated goals without triggering broader economic instability.
