The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday held a confirmation hearing for Robert Lighthizer, President Trump’s nominee for U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). During that hearing Lighthizer reassured farm state senators that the Trump administration is thinking about agriculture exports.
Prior to the hearing, NCC joined more than 100 food and agriculture organizations in a letter to all 100 senators to urge confirmation of Lighthizer as an essential step in putting in place a U.S. government team that can robustly engage in trade negotiations to further enhance U.S. economic growth and job creation.
Lighthizer has worked on international trade issues as a lawyer, representing manufacturing, agricultural, and high-tech companies. He has focused on market-opening trade actions on behalf of U.S. companies seeking access to foreign markets. Lighthizer said at the time of his nomination that he was “fully committed to President Trump’s mission to level the playing field for American workers and forge better trade policies which will benefit all Americans.”
Lighthizer is also an experienced trade official. He served as deputy United States Trade Representative (USTR) with the rank of ambassador during the Reagan administration. During his tenure at USTR, Ambassador Lighthizer had responsibility within the USTR for industry, agriculture, investment and trade policy matters.
Prior to his appointment as deputy USTR, Lighthizer was chief of staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Finance. He was also the national treasurer of the 1996 Republican Presidential Campaign.
During the hearing, Senators from agricultural states told Lighthizer that agriculture access needs to be a top priority. Those same Senators also cautioned Lighthizer to ensure any changes in the North American Free Agreement do not negatively impact exports to either Mexico or Canada. “I hope and believe we can renegotiate NAFTA in a way that doesn’t put agriculture in a precarious position,” Lighthizer said in response.
“Who’s going to be in charge of trade?” Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) asked Lighthizer. When Trump announced Lighthizer’s nomination, he signaled that he would spread the work on his trade policies beyond USTR. Trump said that Wilbur Ross, head of the Commerce Department and Economist Peter Navarro, head of the newly created White House National Trade Council, would work in close coordination with Lighthizer. Lighthizer responded to Senator Cantwell by saying he expected to have the full statutory authority but work collaboratively with both the White House and Commerce Department.
Senator Pat Roberts (R-KS), chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, said that agriculture should be top priority and that the Trump administration needs to move quickly to advance agricultural trade. Roberts also criticized a suggestion that the Trump administration might bring back country-of-origin labeling. “We’ve been down this road before–We don’t need to go down that road again,” Roberts said.
“It is hard for me to understand why we tolerate so many barriers to agricultural trade when America is the Number One producer of agricultural products. I think opening up more markets for agricultural sales is a priority for us.” Lighthizer said.
“If confirmed, I will work with Congress, President Trump, those in the administration, and stakeholders to develop and implement a policy that increases trade, grows the economy, and makes trade freer and fairer, but most importantly, that improves the economic wellbeing of our workers, farms, ranchers and businesses large, medium, and small,” Lighthizer said in his written statement before the Senate Committee on Finance.
