The US Senate confirmed Robert Lighthizer to serve as the next United States Trade Representative (USTR), approving the international trade lawyer’s nomination with a final vote of 82-14.
Lighthizer, a former deputy US trade representative who served in the Reagan administration, has spent the last few decades working for a New York-based law firm on a host of trade cases involving industrial and agricultural goods. Following his nomination, Lighthizer gained bipartisan support from lawmakers, and was confirmed unanimously by the Senate Finance Committee last month.
“I have confidence that Robert Lighthizer will work to pursue a trade agenda that is coherent, constructive, and will deliver for American workers, and I will support his nomination,” said Democratic Senator Ron Wyden, who serves as the ranking member on the Senate Finance Committee.
Despite being confirmed by a large margin, Lighthizer also faced questions from some lawmakers, including within the Republican Party, about his planned trade approach, in a potential indication of debates to come.
read more at ictsd.org
