Trump administration set to abandon fundamental WTO rules after devising bill called FART Act

[PunkinPi]

Donald Trump’s administration has drafted a bill that proposes abandoning fundamental principles of the World Trade Organisation (WTO.)

The Fair and Reciprocal Tariff Act, dubbed the Fart Act, would give the president licence to raise tariffs without congressional consent and sidestep international rules.

“It would be the equivalent of walking away from the WTO and our commitments there without us actually notifying our withdrawal,” a source familiar with the bill told Axios, which obtained a leaked copy of the proposals.

The source described the bill as “insane” and said most officials involved in its drafting think it is unrealistic or unworkable.

“The good news is Congress would never give this authority to the president,” they added. “It’s not implementable at the border... and it would completely remove us from the set of global trade rules.”

The leaked proposals heightened fears that Mr Trump could trigger a global trade war, while the Fart Act’s name prompted widespread derision.

More here ->https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-wto-fart-bill-abandon-steve-mnuchin-us-tariffs-eu-trade-war-a8426246.html

Yes, the FART Act...you can't make this shit up.

[Wounded Bear]

1. Well, Trump is British for fart, right...

so that makes it aptly named in more ways than one.

[PunkinPi]

3. Did not know that, thanks and apropos. nt

[brucefan]

2. Beavis and Butthead

Are somewhere in the White House

[PunkinPi]

4. .

[peekaloo]

5. or their Canadian cousins, Terrence and Phillip

get a whiff of that!

[The Mouth]

6. So, we put tariffs on stuff coming in equal to what that country puts on stuff of ours?

Going to be hard to sell to the average voter that there is anything unfair about that. I mean people sophisticated in international economics can surely make cogent arguments that "yes, we should have lower tariffs here than Germany or Canada does", but it is going to be hard to have that make sense in the world of soundbites and elections.

[Xolodno]

7. I feel sorry for the Onion...

...doing satire must be really hard these days.

[spanone]

8. they would have impeached President Obama for doing this... overstepping his authority.

but the rethugs give him a pass