WCIT's 2026 Trade Policy Priorities
WCIT advocates for trade and investment policies that strengthen competitiveness, expand opportunity, and support jobs across the Northwest's globally engaged industries — including aerospace, technology, agriculture, forestry, energy, life sciences, retail, manufacturing, and services.
As one of the most trade-dependent regions in the nation, the Northwest's prosperity depends on stable, open, and rules-based global commerce.
The Issue
International trade supports nearly one in four jobs in the Northwest. Escalating tariffs, supply-chain disruptions, and policy uncertainty threaten this foundation of growth and competitiveness. Advance forward-looking, pro-growth trade strategies that restore predictability and strengthen American competitiveness.
WCIT Advocates
- Renew U.S. trade leadership through high-standard trade agreements and strong enforcement of existing commitments.
- Restore bipartisan Congressional leadership for trade and establish clear guardrails on emergency tariff authorities.
- Work with allies to strengthen rules-based trade.
- Move beyond tariff-first strategies that raise costs for Northwest consumers, exporters, importers, and service providers while eroding the region's global market share.
The Issue
The United States–Mexico–Canada Agreement underpins the Northwest's economic ties with its North American partners. Tariff-free access and integrated supply chains are essential for the region's aerospace, technology, agriculture, logistics, and manufacturing sectors.
WCIT Advocates
- Ensure the continuation and effective implementation of USMCA.
- Preserve tariff-free trade and regulatory certainty for Northwest businesses.
- Defend dispute settlement mechanisms that provide stability for North American commerce.
The Issue
China remains a major trading partner for the Northwest, even amid concerns regarding fairness, intellectual property protection, and national security. Section 301 and Section 232 tariffs continue to burden key regional industries, including agriculture and electronics.
WCIT Advocates
- Provide targeted relief from Section 301 and 232 tariffs.
- Expand and streamline tariff exclusion processes.
- Coordinate with allies to address unfair trade practices and supply-chain distortions.
- Promote reforms that improve market access, strengthen intellectual property protections, and restore predictability for Northwest businesses.
The Issue
Northwest ports serve as critical gateways for global commerce but face congestion, infrastructure strain, and increasing international competition.
WCIT Advocates
- Invest in port modernization and multimodal freight infrastructure.
- Implement reforms made to the Harbor Maintenance Tax to ensure full use of annual collections and equitable distribution of funds.
- Improve coordination across federal, state, and regional stakeholders.
- Modernize logistics technology to enhance efficiency, resilience, and global competitiveness.
The Issue
Resilient domestic manufacturing supports the Northwest's trade competitiveness. The region's advanced sectors — semiconductors, aerospace, clean energy, and life sciences — require reliable supply chains and sustained investment.
WCIT Advocates
- Support incentives for innovation, workforce development, and modern manufacturing facilities in the Northwest.
- Align domestic industrial strategy with pro-export trade policies.
- Promote policies that strengthen regional production capacity while expanding access to global markets.
The Issue
Critical minerals are essential to the Northwest's technology, energy transition, and defense industries. Current supply chains remain heavily concentrated abroad, creating strategic vulnerabilities.
WCIT Advocates
- Expand domestic production and processing capacity.
- Strengthen partnerships with trusted allies to diversify supply.
- Support policies that enable the Northwest's clean-tech and advanced manufacturing sectors to compete globally.
The Issue
Farmers face significant tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade that restrict access and limit exports of key Northwest agricultural products, including apples, cherries, pears, potatoes, and wheat. Opening and expanding export markets is as important as ever as growers struggle with rising production costs and offset lost exports to China — Northwest tree fruit growers alone have lost over $900 million in sales due to retaliatory tariffs since 2018 — opening and expanding other export markets is as important as ever.
WCIT Advocates
- Elimination of barriers to trade for Northwest agricultural exports.
- Maintain preferential access for Northwest agricultural exports to Canada and Mexico under USMCA.
The Issue
Digital commerce drives growth across the Northwest economy but faces increasing barriers, including data localization mandates and discriminatory digital services taxes.
WCIT Advocates
- Oppose discriminatory digital services taxes targeting U.S. firms.
- Negotiate high-standard digital trade rules that protect cross-border data flows.
- Build on digital trade models found in USMCA and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.
- Support Northwest small businesses and innovators participating in global e-commerce.
The Issue
Access to export financing is critical for Northwest small and mid-sized businesses seeking to compete globally.
WCIT Advocates
- Sustain full authorization of the Export-Import Bank of the United States.
- Expand rural export financing through USDA programs.