US trade representative Greer cites ‘America First’ policy
The Trump Administration on Monday (Tuesday, Manila time) unveiled to the US Congress its trade policy agenda for 2025 amid the tariff war between the US and three of its trading partners.
As reported on the website of the Office of the United States Trade Representative, datelined Washington, US Trade Representative (USTR) Jamieson Greer delivered President Donald Trump’s 2025 Trade Policy Agenda, the 2024 Annual Report and the World Trade Organization at Thirty report to Congress.
The agenda emphasized a focus on revitalizing American manufacturing, addressing trade deficits and promoting a production-oriented economy to strengthen national security and the middle class.
The agenda lays out Trump’s vision for trade, describes the economic and national security challenges facing the United States, and articulates a plan for rebalancing trade to address those challenges, including the work required by the President’s America First Trade Policy Presidential Memorandum.
“The United States faces unprecedented economic and national security challenges. President Trump has set out a plan to tackle those challenges in his America First Trade Policy Presidential Memorandum,” Greer said.
“The current moment demands action to put America First on trade, and the Trade Agenda explains the importance of President Trump’s trade policy to American workers and businesses,” he added.
The US Congress requires the USTR to submit the President’s Trade Policy Agenda and Annual Report by March 1 each year.
Greer said the report was prepared according to guidelines established under the Trade Act of 1974, as amended.
The report first outlined the decline of American manufacturing, the impact of globalist policies and President Trump’s trade policy reforms.
The report stressed that Trump’s trade policy aims to prioritize national interests, enforce trade regulations, and promote American manufacturing and job creation.
The report also said the US has lost industrial leverage by allowing free market access without fair treatment, impacting the middle class and national security.
On Jan. 20, 2025, President Trump signed the “America First Trade Policy” to reverse economic decline and address trade deficits.
The Presidential Memorandum directs USTR to investigate the causes of large annual trade deficits and their implications for national security.
The approach, USTR said, aims to reclaim US competitiveness by identifying unfair trade practices and promoting new market access for US exports.
USTR is tasked with reviewing existing trade agreements to ensure they serve the national interest and do not allow third countries to benefit unfairly.
The US trade relationship with China is highlighted, with a focus on assessing compliance with the Phase One Agreement and addressing unfair practices.
USTR will also consult on the impact of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement on American workers and businesses in preparation for a review in July 2026.
