The United States is facing ever-worsening economic conditions at home as a direct result of our listless pursuit of “free trade at all costs.” If something is not done soon to offset the negative effects of free trade in our domestic economy the market system that once created the greatest economy in the world will be lost forever.

The first solution is to enact legislation immediately that investigates all existing and proposed trade agreements. This legislation should force the Department of Commerce and Office of the United States Trade Representative to evaluate the merit of each individual trade deal based on the creation of at least mutual benefits for the United States and its partner nation. The reviews produced by the Commerce Department and the USTR should then be assigned to a special committee in Congress tasked with evaluating international commercial relations and simultaneously released for full disclosure to the public.

Legislation like this already exists in the United States. It was introduced into the 111th Congress as the TRADE Act of 2009. The Trade Reform, Accountability, Development and Employment Act would fulfill all of the above prescriptions and create a robust infrastructure upon which all commercial relations can be judged in the future. It would also provide the necessary legislative muscle for the United States to renegotiate terms with the World Trade Organization, NAFTA, and all other free trade agreements already in effect.

The second major solution to correcting the problems of free trade is to renegotiate the terms of our membership in the WTO (the world’s largest trade organization) and NAFTA (the source of the majority of America’s annual trade deficit).

The supra-governmental World Trade Organization promotes free trade as its only agenda. The existence of the organization is predicated on increasing the sheer volume of trade. It does not care how that trade is increased, or what individuals are harmed in the process. The only pursuit of the WTO is to increase trade by lowering barriers in countries, like the United States, foolish and myopic enough to go along with the deregulation propaganda.

Renegotiating NAFTA so as to put in more protections for farmers on both sides of the US-Mexico border was once a platform issue for then Senator Barack Obama. Since winning the election, President Obama has avoided NAFTA-related issues at every turn. With strong legislation like the TRADE Act in place the White House would be forced to acknowledge the problems of unfettered free trade. It could then lead the way in renegotiating the terms of our trade agreements so as to bring the most possible benefit to everyone involved – multinational conglomerate, independent farmer, and industrial worker alike.

The next step in solving our free trade dilemma would be ending the Permanent Normal Trade Relations with China forced through Congress by President Clinton in the twilight of his time in office. The PNTR is singularly responsible for the growth exponential growth of America’s trade deficit with China, and thus is responsible in part of the massive growth in our trade deficit as a whole.

No serious legislative challenge has been brought against the PNTR since an effort led by Senator Bernie Sanders was squashed in 2005. With a renewed TRADE Act the United States would be forced to review and rewrite the PNTR with China. This time it would have to take into account lost jobs, import dumping, intellectual property theft, food safety, consumer hazards, and long-term economic projections.

The United States has a long way to go before it can balance its trade deficit and stop the outflow of American wealth and prosperity. Reintroducing, and eventually passing, the TRADE Act is the first and most crucial step.

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