Katherine Tai became the first unanimous Senate confirmation in President Joe Biden’s administration. The Senate voted 98-0 to approve Tai as the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR).
Tai becomes the first Asian-American to serve as USTR.
RVIA Senior Manager of Government Affairs Samantha Rocci congratulated Tai on the confirmation.
“She is widely respected and has deep knowledge and experience at the highest levels of U.S. trade policy,” Rocci said. “Ms. Tai has always been willing to hear the concerns of the manufacturing community and understands the importance of our sector to the United States economy. Her years of experience make her well-equipped to handle the largest international trade issues facing the United States today, and the RV industry is committed to working with her to support robust, open, and rules-based global trade.”
USTR is a Cabinet-level position responsible for developing and coordinating international trade and overseeing negotiations with other countries. During her confirmation hearings, Tai pledged to aggressively enforce the phase one trade deal former President Trump signed with Beijing in 2020, as well as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
Tai previously served as chief counsel for China trade enforcement in the Office of the USTR and as the chief Democratic trade lawyer for the House Ways and Means Committee.
