Business Associations Press Senate to Fill Vacant Trade Posts
A coalition of nine1 business associations sent a letter to Senate leadership on October 21, 2009 urging the Senate to quickly confirm the nominees for five sub-Cabinet posts that affect international trade in the Commerce, Treasury, and State Departments, and the Office of the United States Trade Representative.
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The groups state that in order to support U.S. trade interests effectively, the Administration must have in place the key officials to advance trade policy and interact with senior officials of other governments. While these positions sit empty, the interests of U.S. exporters and their workers are hampered.
Groups Urge Swift Action on Five Nominees Awaiting Senate Confirmation
The associations urge swift action on each of the five nominees named below. If they have passed out of the Committee approval process, they urge the Senate leadership to schedule immediate votes on their nominations. If they are awaiting the Committee hearing process, they urge the completion of the committee investigations and the holding of appropriate hearings:
Deputy USTR for WTO, Europe, etc. Miriam Sapiro was nominated for Deputy U.S. Trade Representative with responsibility for World Trade Organization (WTO) affairs and trade relations with Europe, the Middle East and the Americas on April 20, 2009. She was voted unanimously out of the Finance Committee on July 23, 2009, but her nomination has yet to be scheduled for a vote on the Senate floor.
Under Secretary for Int'l Trade. Francisco Sanchez was nominated for Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade on April 20, 2009. He was voted unanimously out of the Banking Committee on May 21, 2009, but has yet to receive a hearing before the Finance Committee, which has joint jurisdiction.
Under Secretary for Int'l Affairs. Lael Brainard was nominated for Under Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs on March 23, 2009, but she has yet to receive a hearing before the Finance Committee.
Asst Secretary for Western Hemisphere. Arturo Valenzuela was nominated for Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs on June 8, 2009. He was voted favorably out of the Foreign Relations Committee on July 28, 2009, but his nomination has yet to be scheduled for a vote on the floor.
Ambassador to Brazil. Thomas Shannon, who is currently Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, was nominated for Ambassador to Brazil on June 1, 2009. He was voted favorably out of the Foreign Relations Committee on July 20, 2009, but his nomination has yet to be scheduled for a vote on the floor.
1Business Council for International Understanding, Business Roundtable, Council of the Americas, Coalition of Services Industries, Emergency Committee for American Trade, National Association of Manufacturers, National Foreign Trade Council, United States Council on International Business, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Coalition letter (dated 10/21/09) available at http://www.nftc.org/default/Trade%20Policy/Trade_Policy/Association_Letter_on_Nominees.pdf