Manufacturers call for clear, consistent trade framework

The National Association of Manufacturers wants a new trade framework from Congress after the Supreme Court nixed President Trump’s major tariffs.

The high court’s ruling “underscores the importance of clarity and durability in U.S. trade policy,” National Association of Manufacturers President Jay Timmons and NAM Board Chair Blake Moret said in a joint statement.

“Now is the time for policymakers to work together to provide a clear and consistent framework for trade,” they said. “If tariffs are utilized as a tool, they should be targeted to countries engaged in specific unfair trade practices, particularly by nonmarket economies.”

In the 6-3 ruling Friday, the justices said Mr. Trump overstepped his powers by using the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to unilaterally impose nation-by-nation tariffs, which struck down most of the major tariffs he began ordering on his “Liberation Day” in April.

The decision raises big questions for America’s foreign trading partners, the federal government and U.S. businesses.

Mr. Trump is now using other powers, which were insulated from the Supreme Court decision, to slap a 10% to 15% global tariff. The new tariffs are justified under the Trade Act of 1974. They start Tuesday and last for 150 days.

National Association of Manufacturers’ leaders will be hammering home their message on trade during the 2026 State of Manufacturing Tour, which launched last week in Cleveland.

The tour spans seven states: New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Texas and Arizona. Organizers said it will bring together manufacturing leaders, workers, educators, students and elected officials to highlight the policies and conditions needed for the United States to compete and win in a global economy.

Corey DeAngelis joins the Heritage Foundation

School choice advocate Corey DeAngelis, who Mr. Trump labeled “a FIGHTER for Parental Rights,” joined The Heritage Foundation as a research fellow within the conservative think tank’s Center for Education Policy.  

Mr. DeAngelis will focus on school choice, cultural issues around race and gender, and opposition to teacher unions in his work at Heritage.

“It’s a tremendous honor to become a research fellow at The Heritage Foundation, recognized as the world’s leading conservative think tank,” Mr. DeAngelis said. “I am proud to join this powerhouse and lock arms with an education team stacked with the best talent in the education freedom movement.

Jonathan Butcher, acting director of the Heritage’s Center for Education Policy, and Will Skillman, a senior research fellow in education policy, welcomed Mr. DeAngelis, describing him as a robust addition to the team.

“Corey has produced high-quality research demonstrating the effectiveness of education choice and regularly exposes policymakers who choose private schools for their own families but deny such choices to others,” they said in a joint statement.

Mr. DeAngelis is also a senior fellow at Americans for Fair Treatment, a visiting fellow at the American Institute for Economic Research, president of the Educational Freedom Institute, a contributor at Real Truth Media, a senior fellow at Reason Foundation, an adjunct scholar at Cato Institute, a board member at Liberty Justice Center, a senior advisor at Accuracy in Media, and a senior fellow at American Culture Project.

California’s wealth tax scares away state revenue

The National Taxpayer Union Foundation warns that a California ballot measure for a one-time 5% tax on billionaire residents could hurt small businesses.

The proposed tax aims to generate $100 billion but has already prompted wealthy individuals, whose combined net worth totals $1 trillion, to leave California for states such as Texas and Florida.

“Even were it to pass, the tax suffers from numerous design defects and would likely be struck down in court on numerous constitutional grounds,” said  Andrew Wilford, the director of the Interstate Commerce Initiative at the taxpayers watchdog organization.

Not only may California lose revenue from its latest proposal to tax the rich, but it might have done so already.

“The 2026 Billionaire Tax Act is not law, but a proposed ballot measure that organizers are gathering signatures to place on California’s November 2026 ballot. It would impose a “one-time” 5% tax on the wealth of high-net worth individuals who resided in California as of January 1, 2026,” Mr. Wilford said.

“The proposal raises serious questions about damaging California’s competitiveness with other states, whether it can be administered without a more extensive tax enforcement apparatus, how and how quickly good-faith disagreements on valuation will be resolved, how it will harm company valuations and pressure small businesses toward consolidation, and whether it can pass constitutional muster,” he said.

• The Advocates column is a weekly look at the political action players who drive the debate and shape policy outcomes in Washington. Send tips to theadvocates@washingtontimes.com.