Senators Tell Trump Hiring Freeze Is Hampering Trade Enforcement

Nine Democratic senators on Feb. 2 urged President Donald Trump to lift his federal hiring freeze, which is hurting trade enforcement efforts and is worrisome given that several agencies are implementing new enforcement tools as directed in the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 2015, they said in a letter to the White House (here). “Congress included a directive for more resources to be dedicated to trade enforcement as part of the Act, yet the freeze would have the effect of reducing such resources,” the senators wrote. A Jan. 23 Trump memo (here) ordered a hiring freeze applying to employees at all executive agencies, except for military personnel. Signees, who included Senate Finance Committee ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, reminded Trump that trade enforcement was a central campaign promise. “Freezing hiring for the very agencies that will be essential to fulfilling this objective runs contrary to your own campaign promises and undermines long-running bipartisan efforts to enhance trade enforcement throughout the Federal government,” the senators wrote. “While the freeze presents a host of serious challenges across the federal government, here we would like to focus your attention on its impact on trade enforcement.”