By Peter Rykowski
The New American Magazine, 06/09/25, Vol. 41, No. 11
https://thenewamerican.com/print/time-to-get-out-of-the-wto/
In a long-overdue step toward reasserting American independence, Congress has introduced legislation to withdraw the United States from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
House Joint Resolution 93 (H. J. Res. 93), titled “Withdrawing approval of the Agreement Establishing the World Trade Organization,” has been introduced by U.S. Representative Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.). It is co-sponsored by Representatives Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), Scott Perry (R-Pa.), and Tony Wied (R-Wis.).
This one-page resolution declares, “Congress withdraws its approval, provided under section 101(a) of the Uruguay Round Agreements Act, of the WTO Agreement as defined in section 2(9) of that Act.” The Uruguay Round Agreements Act, enacted by Congress in 1994, established U.S. membership in the WTO, which was formally established on January 1, 1995. Accordingly, H. J. Res. 93 would fully withdraw the United States from the WTO.
In a press release announcing H. J. Res. 93, Tiffany declared, “The WTO has repeatedly overlooked China’s unfair trade practices and human rights abuses, undermined American farmers and manufacturers, and eroded our national sovereignty. American trade policies should be made by American officials who are elected by American voters and accountable to American workers, not dictated by unelected international bureaucrats in Geneva.”
He continued, “It has been two decades since Congress last voted on whether to continue our membership in this deeply flawed organization. The American people deserve to know if their elected officials stand with them, or with China’s allies in the WTO.”
This is not the first time legislation to withdraw the United States from the WTO has been introduced. In 2020, for example, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Representative Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) introduced identical resolutions (S. J. Res. 71 and H. J. Res. 89). As The New American reported at the time, Hawley also published a New York Times op-ed calling for the WTO to be abolished.
WTO membership has been detrimental to U.S. sovereignty. The global body explains on its website, “Although the WTO is not a UN specialized agency, it has maintained strong relations with the UN and its agencies since its establishment.”
The WTO has repeatedly ruled against U.S. policies, even occasionally forcing Congress and state legislatures to bend to its will. In 2015, for example, Congress repealed a country-of-origin-labeling law for foreign meat in response to multiple WTO rulings — siding with Canada and Mexico, which sued the United States — declaring the law illegal under WTO rules. Additionally, in 2018, the Washington Legislature repealed a state tax break for Boeing to comply with WTO rules. In essence, U.S. membership in the WTO has effectively given international bureaucrats control over federal and state laws related — even if tangentially — to trade.
- J. Res. 93 is only the latest measure introduced in the 119th Congress to restore American independence. Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) and Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) previously introduced H.R. 1498 and S. 669, titled the Disengaging Entirely From the United Nations Debacle (DEFUND) Act, to fully withdraw the United States from the UN and its related organizations. And Representative Biggs introduced H.R. 54, to permanently cut U.S. ties with the World Health Organization.
Rather than allow foreign bureaucrats to dictate our policies and undermine our independence, Congress should defend America’s founding principles and restore U.S. sovereignty by enacting the legislation listed above, including H. J. Res. 93 — and patriotic Americans should work to create the educated and activated electorate necessary for effecting long-term change.