USTR

After nearly two years vacant, the Senate confirmed Doug McKalip to be Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the United States Trade Representative Thursday.  After the vote, USTR, Katherine Tai said McKalip has generated broad, bipartisan support from Members of Congress, governors, and state agriculture commissioners, and also received strong endorsements from key stakeholders.  Tai add...

Earlier this week, United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced that the United States is requesting new dispute settlement consultations with Canada under USMCA.  The request is over Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota, or TRQ, allocation measures.  Since initiat...

Twenty-four members of the House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee recently sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai about Mexico.  They want a resolution to a lingering trade dispute with Mexico over biotech corn imports.   “...

U.S. Trade Rep Katherine Tai and Japan’s Ambassador to the U.S. confirmed that amendments to the beef safeguard trigger level under the U.S.-Japan Trade Agreement will take affect January 1st.  The letters confirmed both countries completed their procedures to put the protocol in place.   “...

R-CALF USA is making a push for Congress to consider mandatory country-of-origin labeling of beef.  The organization is encouraging its members and others to show their support to lawmakers for the American Beef Labeling Act.  The bill was introduced by Republican Senators John Thune and Mike Rounds, alongside Democrats Jon Tester and Cory Booker last month.     The legi...

USDA nominees for top trade and food safety posts will now have to wait until after the midterm elections in November for Senate confirmation votes.  The Senate wrapped up work Thursday to head home for campaigns without confirming Biden USDA undersecretary nominees Oregon Department of Ag head Alexis Taylor for trade and Jose Emilio Esteban for food safety.  That’s ...

U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently hosted counterparts from the 13 Indo-Pacific Economic Framework partner countries.  Those partners represent over 40% of the world’s economy.  At the first ...

The Senate Finance Committee unanimously voted to move Doug McKalip’s nomination to be USTR’s Chief Agricultural Negotiator to the full Senate for a final vote.  He won bipartisan support despite Republican objections to the Administration’s anti-free trade policy.   “I intend to ...

As Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Oregon Senator Ron Wyden led Wednesday’s session pushing to approve the nomination of Doug McKalip as Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the USTR.   "These days, Americans are paying more for their groceries but getting less, and our farms and ranches are getting clobbered by inflation and drought.  American...

The United States and Taiwan reached an agreement on the negotiating mandate for the U.S.-Taiwan Initiative on 21st Century trade that was announced on June 1st.  The negotiating mandate sets out the broad objectives shared by both countries for the upcoming negotiations.  The fir...