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Economy

Tai confirmed as top U.S. trade negotiator

Hill veteran will be first woman of color to hold the Cabinet-level post

By
March 17, 2021 at 12:16 p.m. EDT
Katherine C. Tai, who has been nominated to be U.S. trade representative, speaks before the Senate Finance Committee on Feb. 25 in Washington. (Reuters)

Katherine Tai, a longtime congressional staff lawyer, won Senate confirmation on Wednesday as the first woman of color to serve as the top U.S. trade negotiator.

The Senate approved her nomination 98-0, marking a rare bipartisan agreement in a deeply-divided Washington.

Among her first tasks will be advising the president on what to do about existing tariffs on most imported Chinese products, presiding over enforcement of a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, and seeking a negotiated end to a long-running commercial dispute with the European Union.