Senate Finance advances deputy USTR nominees
Sarah Bianchi and Jayme White have enjoyed a pain-free confirmation process so far.
The Senate Finance Committee overwhelmingly approved on Tuesday President Joe Biden’s nominees for two deputy U.S. trade representative positions, a step toward filling out the slate of top officials crafting his global trade agenda.
The vote for Sarah Bianchi and Jayme White was initially delayed after the committee failed to reach a quorum on Tuesday morning, though the panel’s top Democrat and Republican vowed to support their nominations. The committee later voted on the sidelines of the Senate floor.
Bianchi’s nomination was endorsed 27-1, with Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) as the sole opponent, per a committee aide. White was supported 25-3, with Sens. Lankford, Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Steve Daines (R-Mont.) opposing.
If confirmed by the full Senate, Bianchi and White will serve directly under U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, whose nomination received a rare 98-0 vote of support.
“These two trade nominees help to build out an excellent team at USTR,” said Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the committee chair. “Both are highly experienced and knowledgeable. Based on their [confirmation] hearing, it was clear that both share Ambassador Tai’s commitment to bringing the two sides together around policies that get trade done right.”
A smooth confirmation: Bianchi and White have enjoyed a pain-free confirmation process so far. At a hearing last month, the nominees told lawmakers they supported the Biden administration’s worker-centered trade policy and would embrace global trading partners more warmly than the last administration.
Some lawmakers are keen for the administration to pursue new trade deals, particularly in Asia where the U.S. aims to maintain economic and political influence vis-à-vis China. Former President Donald Trump pulled out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership at the start of his term, a move that members of both parties contend created a void of U.S. leadership in the region.
Bianchi and White told the committee that the Biden administration would not ink new free trade agreements until Congress invests more money in domestic infrastructure and other policies to make the U.S. more competitive on the global stage. Nevertheless, they pledged to work within existing agreements and international bodies to deepen trade ties.
About the nominees: White is well known to lawmakers having just served as Senate Finance’s chief adviser on international competitiveness and innovation. He is a Capitol Hill veteran who previously worked as a legislative director to Wyden and former Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.).
Bianchi served as then-Vice President Biden’s director of economic and domestic policy. She left the Obama administration in 2014 to join investment firm BlackRock and later oversaw global policy development for Airbnb. Most recently, Bianchi was senior managing director and head of U.S. public policy and political strategy for investment company Evercore.
Key vacancies remain: The White House has yet to name an ambassador to the World Trade Organization or a chief agricultural negotiator, key positions that would fill out USTR’s leadership roster. Trump had announced his picks for each of those roles by this time in 2017, though the Senate did not confirm them until the following year.
“Today’s vote also highlights the administration has yet to nominate anyone to fill a number of vacancies critical to ensuring the United States has an effective trade policy,” said the committee’s ranking member, Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho).
“To press forward toward a successful economic recovery, we need now more than ever to tear down barriers between our businesses, farmers and workers, and the billions of customers beyond our borders,” he continued.