Gerwin said the report provides a much broader context for a discussion of trade and jobs beyond the election-year politics that has injected serious doubts into the future direction of U.S. trade policy.
President Obama wants Congress to consider the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) this year, a sell made tougher with both the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates standing opposed.
During the campaign, Republican Donald Trump and former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders joined other critics in slamming U.S. trade policy, arguing that global agreements benefit corporate elites and leave behind millions of American workers.
"Trade skeptics charge that America’s pursuit of rules-based, open trade is essentially an exercise that’s by and for big multinationals and the Wall Street 1 percent, while leaving everyday American workers holding the bag," the report said.