Office of the United States Trade Representative

www.ustr.gov

Overview

The Office of the United States Trade Representative negotiates trade agreements on behalf of the United States, develops trade policy, resolves disagreements and serves as administration spokesperson on trade issues.

Improving NAFTA, addressing issues surrounding the Columbia, Korea, and Panama free trade agreements, and the world trade organization's DOHA round negotiations are on the Obama administration's stated agenda.

The trade representative's office is an executive branch agency coordinating policy with the White House, Commerce Department and other agencies and works closely with private industry groups and their legal representatives. The current representative is Ron Kirk.

In addition to a small in-house staff numbering fewer than 300 people, the USTR is advised by approximately 700 outside advisers serving on 28 advisory committees. Other committees, whose members are appointed by the trade representative and the secretaries of Commerce and Agriculture, provide advice on specific agricultural commodities and industrial products.

As a historical footnote, until 1962, the State Department negotiated all trade agreements. USTR, like State, also has a buy-American trade promotion bureau. For history buffs, it may be of interest that the USTR occupies the entire Winder Building on 17th Street, the former War Department during the Civil War where Abraham Lincoln read dispatches from the front and, according to a plaque outside, sometimes talked to Confederate prisoners.

Location

Press Contacts

As a practical matter, the USTR has a two-person press office which can field questions and often respond with well-vetted official statements within hours. Ask to be placed on an e-mail alert list if keeping up with trade issues is essential; they send out five or six a week.

Office of Public and Media Affairs

Carol Guthrie, assistant USTR for public and media affairs: cguthrie@ustr.eop.gov

Debbie Mesloh, deputy assistant USTR for public and media affairs: 202-395-9496 (w), 202-361-4762 (cell), dmesloh@ustr.eop.gov

In addition, the Agriculture Department has supplemented the USTR press office with a staffer named Marci Hilt at 202-720-4623 or marci.hilt@usda.gov.

Resources

Deputy trade representative Peter F. Allgeier is based in Geneva where he deals largely with WTO-related issues. Tim Reif is the general counsel, specializing in copyright, patent and other intellectual property issues. There are a variety of point-people on specific issues like agriculture or telecommunications policies, as well as geographic regions, like China, Africa or the Americas. Here are some other helpful contacts:

At the Commerce Department - Office of International Trade Administration

Office of Public Affairs, 202-482-3809

Tu-Trang Phan, acting director: tu-trang.phan@mail.doc.gov

Tim Truman, acting deputy director: tim.truman@mail.doc.gov

Lorri Crowley, public affairs specialist: lorri.crowley@mail.doc.gov

A useful listserve that sends out periodic broadsides on a variety of WTO disputes can be signed up for at http://www.wto.org. The site provides same-day hyperlink texts of rulings by the Geneva-based organization (in French and English).

The German Marshall Fund of the United States holds periodic forums on trade and WTO issues and has an extensive list of experts. Its offices are at 1744 R Street, N.W., 202-745-3950. William Bohlen is director of communication, 202-683-2609, wbohlen@gmus.org.

Trade dispute lawyers with offices in Washington include Sidley, Austin, Brownand Wood (Scott D. Andersen in Geneva; Amelia Porges in Washington); White &Case; and Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.

A variety of industry-specific promoters have free-trade specialists. Implementing bi-lateral agreement are organizations like the Committee to Implement Textile Agreements (CITA), which oversee import and export quotas. 202-482-5078.

Critics of the Free Trade policy include academics like Noreena Hertz, the Associate Director of the Center for International Business at the University of Cambridge in England and frequent visitor to the U.S.

Specific sector critics of the implementation of free trade policies include if the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition (AMTAC; Augustine Tantillo, executive director; media spokesman Lloyd Wood, 202-452-0866), which can address domestic jobs lost. In textiles, the union UNITE NOW, can speak knowledgably on trade issues.

U.S. Agricultural subsidies' impact on trade can be addressed by Oxfam America-- Laura Ruso, 202-496-1169 or the Environmental Working Group, Don Carr -- 202-667-6982.

Longer term inquiries can be addressed to the FOIA Officer, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 600 17th Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20508, Phone (202) 395-3419. The USTR website has an extensive public library online.

Does this agency's information need updating? programs@nationalpress.org