Kimberly A. Clausing

Kimberly Clausing

@kclausing.bsky.social

11K followers 230 following 260 posts

Economist; Professor @law.ucla.edu; senior fellow @piie.com; former tax DAS at Treasury; Author, Open: The Progressive Case for Free Trade, Immigration, and Global Capital

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Kimberly Clausing is an American economist. She is the Eric M. Zolt Chair in Tax Law and Policy at the UCLA School of Law and a nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. From 2021 to 2022, she was the deputy assistant secretary for tax analysis at the United States Department of the Treasury. Clausing is known for her work on international trade and tax policy, particularly the taxation of multinational corporations. .. more

Economics 51%

Business 36%

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Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 5d

A good day to re-up this thread on why tariffs are a poor tax policy instrument.

Also relevant today, this broad use of tariffs definitely exceeds the President's authority under IEEPA.

Early indications suggest the court agrees.

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 24

🧵 (1/8) My new working paper with Maurice Obstfeld, “Tariffs as Fiscal Policy”, was just posted today @piie.com. Within, we evaluate the new role that tariffs are playing in the US economy.

www.piie.com/publications...

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 5d

At least these small businesses are standing up for the integrity of the constitution (and demonstrating the harmful economic effects of tariffs).

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/11...

Reposted by Caroline Fohlin, Simon Lester, Kimberly A. Clausing

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 5d

Betting market odds for SCOTUS letting Trump keep his tariffs have tanked

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 12d

And kudos to @kaine.senate.gov and Sen. Rand Paul for making such clear and persuasive arguments.

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 12d

Watching this terrific event right now @piie.com.

Good to see some bipartisanship on this important issue.

And the results from today's Senate vote on the Canada tariffs & yesterday's vote on the Brazil tariffs.

www.piie.com/events/2025/...

Congress's role in the trade war: A bipartisan conversation with Senators Kaine and Paul

The Peterson Institute for International Economics hosts a special event featuring Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rand Paul (R-KY) who discuss the complex legal, political, and constitutional issues fa...

www.piie.com

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 12d

Congress's role in the trade war: A bipartisan conversation with Senators Kaine and Paul

www.piie.com

Reposted by Douglas A. Irwin, Simon Lester, Jay Shambaugh

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 12d

Excellent piece from @douglasirwin.bsky.social
Reagan: "We should beware of the demagogues who are ready to declare a trade war against our friends — weakening our economy, our national security and the entire free world — all while cynically waving the American flag
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/29/o...

Opinion | The Canadians Are Right About Reagan and Free Trade

www.nytimes.com

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 16d

I was honored to join this important effort opposing the IEEPA tariffs. Huge thanks to @stanveuger.bsky.social for his work on this.

Stan Veuger @stanveuger.bsky.social · 17d

I organized an economist amicus brief in the IEEPA tariffs case the Supreme Court will soon hear.

You can find the full brief here: www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

Reposted by Robert C. Richards, Simon Lester, Kimberly A. Clausing

Stan Veuger @stanveuger.bsky.social · 17d

I organized an economist amicus brief in the IEEPA tariffs case the Supreme Court will soon hear.

You can find the full brief here: www.supremecourt.gov/DocketPDF/24...

Reposted by Antonio Fatás

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 18d

The podcast version of our BPEA paper on “Who bears the burden of climate inaction?” (thread below, with @cwolfram.bsky.social and @knittelmit.bsky.social) just dropped .

www.brookings.edu/articles/how...

Reposted by Alan Richardson, David R. Miller, Kimberly A. Clausing

Chris Hayes @chrislhayes.bsky.social · 19d

As a matter of current law, could the president just…knock down the entire White House? Just raze the whole thing to the ground?

Reposted by Kimberly A. Clausing

dr. caitlin m. green @caitlinmoriah.bsky.social · 21d

we need the national guard for this. it’s an emergency

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 21d

For the full thread on the longer paper, see:

bsky.app/profile/kcla...

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 24

Reposted by Robert Wolfe, Simon Lester

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · 21d

My new column with Maurice Obstfeld in VoxEU argues that the broad tariffs of the Trump administration are not well suited to tax policy, macroeconomic, or other aims.

cepr.org/voxeu/column...

Trump’s tariffs as fiscal folly

In 2025, the US government underwent a large fiscal switch, with Congress enacting large income tax cuts and the second Trump administration putting new tariffs on goods at levels not seen in the US since the Great Depression. This column evaluates tariffs as a broad tool of fiscal policy, reviewing both tax policy and macroeconomic considerations, and concludes that this fiscal switch will leave most Americans worse off.

cepr.org

Reposted by Harvey J. Miller, Kimberly A. Clausing

Cullen Hendrix @cullenhendrix.bsky.social · 21d

You may not believe in climate change, but the insurance industry does.

Bentley @bigclimate.bsky.social · 28d

One storm #CostOfClimate #ClimateChange vancouver.citynews.ca/2022/06/15/f...

Flood of atmospheric rivers in B.C. cost $675 million in insured damage: bureau

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says insured damage from last November's devastating floods in southern B.C. is now estimated at $675-million.

vancouver.citynews.ca

Reposted by Kimberly A. Clausing

Arik Levinson @ariklevinson.bsky.social · 23d

Ok so the Trump administration blew up the international agreement to tax CO2 from shipping. 14 years ago the Obama administration successfully opposed applying the EU carbon price to US airlines operating in Europe.

Just because Ds and Rs both agree on something doesn't mean it's right.

Reposted by Juan Cole, Daniel W. Drezner, Kimberly A. Clausing

50501: The People’s Movement ❌👑 @50501movement.bsky.social · 23d

South Koreans held their government accountable earlier this year. And now they’re protesting for American’s rights and democracy on No Kings too!

Thank you South Korea! #NoKings ❌👑

Reposted by Miles Corak, Aaron Sojourner, Kimberly A. Clausing

Catherine Rampell @crampell.bsky.social · 27d

5 Immigrants To America Won 2024 And 2025 Nobel Prize In Economics www.forbes.com/sites/stuart...

5 Immigrants To America Won 2024 And 2025 Nobel Prize In Economics

Five immigrants to America have been awarded the Nobel prize in economics in 2024 and 2025; four of the five former international students.

www.forbes.com

Reposted by Kimberly A. Clausing

NBER @nber.org · Oct 6

Assessing how the greater reliance of fiscal policy on tariffs will affect the US tax system, from @kclausing.bsky.social and Maurice Obstfeld https://www.nber.org/papers/w34192

Reposted by Kimberly A. Clausing

Aaron Sojourner @aaronsojourner.org · Oct 6

"While maintaining tariff rates at summer 2025 levels would generate large government revenues, such broad tariffs have significant downsides: Efficiency losses would approach one-third of revenues raised..."
@kclausing.bsky.social #EconSky
www.nber.org/papers/w34192

. Tariffs as Fiscal Policy
Kimberly A. Clausing, Maurice Obstfeld #34192

Abstract:
The year 2025 brought a remarkable shift in the role of tariffs in the US economy, as the Trump administration simultaneously escalated the use of broad tariffs and ensured that Congress enacted large income tax cuts. This fiscal switch has important implications for the US tax system. While maintaining tariff rates at summer 2025 levels would generate large government revenues, such broad tariffs have significant downsides: Efficiency losses would approach one-third of revenues raised, the tax system would be less progressive, and there would be serious tax administration concerns. The fiscal shift also has significant macroeconomic implications, although probably not the intended ones. Broad tariffs generate a large negative supply shock, simultaneously raising prices and reducing macroeconomic activity.

Reposted by Stephen M. Walt, Kim L. Scheppele, Lisa W. Fazio , and 24 more Stephen M. Walt, Kim L. Scheppele, Lisa W. Fazio, Norbert Schwarz, Nancy Kanwisher, Brendan Nyhan, Joshua S. Weitz, Tom Clark, Scott L. Greer, Steven S. Smith, Martin Paul Eve, Charles West, Elaine Treharne, Bonnie Honig, James Grimmelmann, Robert C. Richards, David R. Miller, Jacob T. Levy, Margot C. Finn, Michael Jones‐Correa, Kate Starbird, Josh Pasek, Georg Weizsäcker, Robert L. Tsai, Charles T. Mathewes, Adam Sacarny, Kimberly A. Clausing

Joey Fishkin @fishkin.bsky.social · Oct 4

I thought I'd put the administration's proposed "compact" with universities in context, so I wrote the blog post below.

It's especially for journalists covering this story!

Many details about how the compact itself works and why the administration has retreated to this strategy.

Balkinization: The Art of Replacing the Law with the Deal

A group blog on constitutional law, theory, and politics

balkin.blogspot.com

Reposted by Kimberly A. Clausing

John Bistline @bistline.bsky.social · Oct 1

Great paper measuring the current costs of climate inaction in the U.S. @kclausing.bsky.social, @knittelmit.bsky.social, and @cwolfram.bsky.social find that wildfire smoke and higher insurance drive household costs more than direct temperature-related effects, both for costs and mortality risks.

Reposted by Kimberly A. Clausing

Bobby Kogan @bbkogan.bsky.social · Oct 1

Happy fiscal new year! Off to a rough start 🥲

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 25

(7/7) For more on a comparison of relevant climate policy actions for the United States, see this recent work:

papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....

ceepr.mit.edu/wp-content/u...

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 25

(6/7) While costs are relatively modest so far, the costs of climate inaction are likely to rise steeply in the years ahead, illustrating the importance of climate action. Even focusing *solely* on US benefits, many climate policy interventions will have benefits that exceed their costs.

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 25

(5/7) Further, climate policy *inaction* is regressive, harming poorer counties and households disproportionately. Poorer counties are more exposed to risks such as wildfire particulates, and the higher costs of home insurance and cooling are a larger share of income for poorer households.

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 25

(4/7) In the United States, natural disasters are far more consequential than heat, for both costs and mortality risks. Increased particulate matter from smoke causes more deaths than heat (as cold deaths fall); home insurance price increases are more important than higher cooling costs.

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 25

(3/7) When it comes to climate change, “blue” counties and “red” counties suffer similarly, with slightly higher costs for Trump-voting counties in comparison to Harris-voting counties.

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 25

(2/7) Guided by the literature, we examine several key vectors through which climate inaction affects households. Overall, household damages total nearly $600 by one estimate, and damages reach about $900 for ten percent of households.

Reposted by Robert Wolfe, John Bistline, Antonio Fatás

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 25

🧵 (1/7) With @knittelmit.bsky.social and @cwolfram.bsky.social, happy to announce our new paper on “Who Bears the Burden of Climate Inaction?”, just posted for BPEA @brookings.edu.

We find large climate cost impacts that vary by both geography and income.

www.brookings.edu/articles/who...

Kimberly Clausing @kclausing.bsky.social · Sep 24

(8/8) Such broad tariffs are also quite challenging for the macroeconomy, as they entail a large negative supply shock. Further, tariffs are likely to harm both the US investment climate and US manufacturing.

For more, read the paper!
www.piie.com/publications...

Tariffs as Fiscal Policy

The year 2025 brought a remarkable shift in the role of tariffs in the US economy, as the Trump administration simultaneously escalated the use of broad tariffs and ensured that Congress enacted large...

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