THE TRUTH ABOUT THE U.S. TRADE IMBALANCE

In 2017, the U.S. exported $ 1,551 billion worth of goods while importing $ 2,362 billion worth for a merchandise trade deficit of $ 811 billion. But this is not a loss to the United States in any meaningful way: First,the lives of a hundred million American households are made better every day by imports of automobiles, electronics, clothing, shoes, fresh produce, and pharmaceuticals. Meanwhile, U.S. producers keep their factories humming with imported machinery, crude oil, lumber, steel and other inputs.