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White House exec order is out on autos imports threatening national security. First official confirmation that the report finds that imports DO threaten national security.
I think the interesting bit in the order is the focus on AMERICAN-OWNED companies. Imports have apparently given FOREIGN-OWNED producers a cost advantage over AMERICAN-OWNED ones, which has hampered investment in the latter group. 
I am... sceptical of this reasoning. But very happy to be told I shouldn't be.
USMCA stuff seemed to be about forcing car companies to source more parts from North America (which should, as it happens, on average screw over the foreign-owned companies more than the big 3 because of existing sourcing) in the name of American JOBS....
Now the Trump administration seems to be explicitly trying to promote US-OWNED COMPANIES and reduce their competition from foreign-owned companies - EVEN IF THEY ARE MAKING CARS IN THE US.
It seems vaguely rational to me to try to encourage R&D to happen in your country (set aside the methods). I think the foreign-owned automakers are more likely to locate R&D centres outside of the US. But that doesn't seem to be the objective here...
The Trump admin wants the int'l automakers to invest more in the US and increase US jobs - but also for their market share to fall? I suppose those two things are just about consistent - if locating in the US erodes the int'l automakers' competitiveness
I SUSPECT this help for the big 3 (does FCA count as US-owned in the Trump admin's calcs?) is just making explicit something that was implicit during the USMCA talks.
for the Trump admin's reasoning to hold, investment in the US by companies owned by Americans has to be different/superior to the investment in the US by companies owned by foreigners. Does anyone here buy this?
Is this any more complicated than a protectionist administration trying to help national champions at the expense of pesky foreigners?
@kdziczek @FlavioVolpe1 WHAT SAY YOU?
