This week brings a flurry of activity watched closely in Washington, with the government re-opening after the longest shutdown in history. It also brings a big earnings week with 113 companies on the S&P 500 and nearly half of the Dow Jones Industrial Average components reporting quarterly results and trade talks between the U.S. and China (a point of tension that has been referenced in many of this month’s earnings notices) kicking off anew in D.C.

The disappointed report from the Illinois-based Caterpillar at the beginning of the week (a company that is considered a harbinger for the global economy) can be expected to be part of a broader trend of dour reports this week citing the tensions between the world’s two largest economies as a major source of frustration for their businesses. But will it change President Trump’s mind about his unorthodox trade practices? Many of Trump’s defenders in and outside the administration (and Trump himself) have been quick to eschew corporate America’s warnings about the impact the trade war is having on its bottom line. However, it would be a mistake for policymakers not to acknowledge the economic ecosystem the administration’s trade policies have fostered, and whether the policy goals they are pursing are worse than the sacrifice they require.