FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing on U.S. Trade Policy and 2018 Budget

Original title: PRESIDENT'S TRADE POLICY AGENDA AND FISCAL YEAR 2018 BUDGET

January 1, 2018

trade policy federal budget international trade economic policy Senate Finance Committee

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing established the legislative oversight framework for the U.S. Trade Representative's 2018 budget and the administration's approach to international trade negotiations and enforcement.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

American businesses and workers

They are subject to the economic outcomes and trade regulations negotiated by the USTR.

Office of the United States Trade Representative

The agency is seeking budget approval and providing testimony on its policy agenda.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2018.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on June 21, 2017, to review the Trump administration's trade policy agenda and the budget request for the Office of the United States Trade Representative (). Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer testified before the committee to update Congress on the administration's trade goals and priorities.

Key Facts

The hearing took place on June 21, 2017, in the Dirksen Senate Office Building.
The hearing focused on the President's trade policy agenda and the fiscal year 2018 budget for the USTR.
Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer had been in office for approximately one month at the time of the hearing.
The USTR trade agenda report was issued in March 2017 prior to Ambassador Lighthizer's confirmation.
Chairman Hatch emphasized the importance of adhering to the Trade Promotion Authority statute.
The committee received written communications from various organizations including the American Farm Bureau Federation and TechNet.

Why It Matters

This hearing established the legislative oversight framework for the U.S. Trade Representative's 2018 budget and the administration's approach to international trade negotiations and enforcement.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?

To discuss the administration's trade policy agenda and review the budget request for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.

Who is the United States Trade Representative?

As of the June 2017 hearing, the position was held by Robert E. Lighthizer.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift90% confidence

Focus on Trade-Only Policy

Chairman Hatch explicitly requested that the administration avoid using trade negotiations to push social agendas like labor or environmental policies.

Orrin G. Hatch Robert E. Lighthizer

Connected Entities

personOrrin G. Hatch“Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee”Map →

personRon Wyden“Ranking Member of the Senate Finance Committee”Map →

personRobert E. Lighthizer“United States Trade Representative”Map →

organizationSenate Finance Committee“Congressional committee overseeing trade and budget”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance65
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy40
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment15
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz10
Current news / social attention level

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