Immigration
Immigrants helped build America’s manufacturing industry, and immigration reform is essential to our competitiveness worldwide. We need a system that provides certainty for our businesses and dedicated employees, ensures national security, offers compassion and is consistent with our values and our history as a nation of immigrants.
Canadian Protest Hampers International Business
February 11, 2022snarled trade between the two countries. What’s happening: A group of Canadian protesters has blocked access to the Ambassador Bridge—a major thoroughfare for the transport of goods between Detroit and the Canadian city of Windsor—snarling traffic and bringing freight transportation to a standstill. Why it matters: Canada is the United States’ largest goods trading partner…
Homebuying Slows as Mortgage Rates Rise
February 10, 2022CNBC. What’s happening: “Mortgage applications to purchase a home dropped 10% last week compared with the previous week, seasonally adjusted, and were 12% lower year over year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. The average loan size hit another record high at $446,000, indicating that most of the buying activity is on the higher end…
Skyrocketing Shipping Fees Slam U.S. Importers
February 9, 2022The Wall Street Journal (subscription). Why it matters: “U.S. lawmakers and regulators are taking a hard look at the charges and other shipping practices that critics say have sharply raised costs for American importers and hamstrung the ability of exporters to reach overseas markets.” Logjams lead to increased fees: Ports around the United States and…
How Suburban Sprawl Is Weighing on the U.S. Economy
February 2, 2022CNBC. Zoning laws limit housing supply: Strict zoning laws favor the construction of single-family homes, limiting the amount of land available for multifamily housing and affordable housing developments. With less land available for multifamily and affordable housing, the prices of that land have risen to a point where the projects are often unaffordable for builders.
USDA Will Fund “Pop-Up” Port Site in Oakland
February 1, 2022The U.S. Department of Agriculture will fund a multimillion-dollar container yard for agricultural exports at the Port of Oakland in California to help ease expensive shipping delays, according to
New Home Sales Rise
January 27, 2022U.S. Census Bureau. NAM Chief Economist Chad Moutray laid it out for us. The recent surge: “New single-family home sales jumped 11.9% from 725,000 units at the annual rate in November to 811,000 units in December, the best pace since March,” said Moutray. Where we’re buying: “In the latest figures, sales rose sharply in the…
Biden Administration Steps Up Coordinated Campaign Against Omicron
January 20, 2022The Wall Street Journal (subscription). Omicron falling: There are some signs that the rates of omicron have begun to plateau and may soon subside. In the Northeast United States, where the variant struck early, the pace of infections has shown signs of slowing down. In the United Kingdom, the omicron wave appears to be diminishing…
Omicron Exacerbates Port Backlog
January 13, 2022The Wall Street Journal (subscription). The situation: The ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach are trying to clear more than 100 container ships that are idling at anchor in the area. The ports are facing another staffing shortage at the moment, with about 800 dockworkers unavailable as of Monday for COVID-19-related reasons—including some who…
“Flurona” Highlights Vaccination Importance
January 6, 2022USA Today. Confirmed cases: Texas Children’s Hospital confirmed that a child had been infected with influenza A in addition to the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen that causes COVID-19. The patient did not require hospitalization and is recovering at home. Israel reported its first confirmed “flurona” case in an unvaccinated pregnant woman a few days ago. Dual infection…
