The U.S. trade policy system

This chapter describes the structure of the United States (US) trade policy formulation system so as to assist the reader in understanding, on the one hand, how the four trade players influence public policies and, on the other hand, the US perspective on trade issues and negotiations. The four trade players are the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, the Private Sector, and the Public Interest. Needless to say, all four players interact among themselves in the International Trade game. In spite of being the highest US trade authority, Congress has temporarily delegated trade power to the Executive. The latter branch may start and conduct trade negotiations and, therefore, sign trade agreements, although these are not self-executing since Congress may either approve or reject them. As an additional self-imposed restriction, the US Congress shall take a decision about whether or not to approve a trade agreement within a limited period once the Executive files it before the Legislative.