Here is our top story today: President Joseph R. Biden Jr. announced a few minutes ago that he will be removing Burkina Faso from AGOA trade program on January 1, 2023, following a military coup in the West African nation in September.

Although not perfect and sometimes controversial, AGOA provides eligible sub-Saharan African countries with duty-free access to the U.S. market for over 1,800 products, in addition to the more than 5,000 products that are eligible for duty-free access under the Generalized System of Preferences program.

“I am taking this step because I have determined that the Government of Burkina Faso has not established, or is not making continual progress toward establishing, the protection of the rule of law and of political pluralism, as stated in the eligibility requirements of section 104 of the AGOA,” President Biden said in a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate.  And that is our top story today.