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House Impeachment Inquiry Could Sorely Undermine Trump's Trade Agenda,
Experts Warn

Rob Garver

   WASHINGTON - The announcement this week that U.S. President Donald
   Trump will face an impeachment inquiry led by House Democrats will
   greatly complicate Trump's efforts to rewrite global trade agreements,
   experts say, as both his foreign counterparts and domestic political
   allies assess his chances of political survival.

   "This is a giant cloud over the administration's ability both to
   conduct foreign affairs and to get legislation passed," said Gary
   Hufbauer, a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International
   Economics.

   An impeachment proceeding will likely dominate the attention of
   lawmakers in Washington, experts say, making it difficult to see how
   the administration's trade initiatives that require congressional
   approval will get passed.

   It will also set foreign governments -- most notably China, which has
   another round of trade talks with the U.S. scheduled for next month --
   scrambling to assess the president's chances of finishing out his
   current term, much less winning reelection in 2020.

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