[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 50 (Wednesday, March 17, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1609-S1610]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            CONFIRMATION OF
                            KATHERINE C. TAI

 Ms. HIRONO. Mr. President, I rise to support the nomination of 
Katherine Tai to serve as the next United States Trade Representative. 
When confirmed, Ms. Tai will be the first woman of color and first 
Asian American to lead the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
  Katherine Tai's story is America's story. Her parents came to the 
United

[[Page S1610]]

States as graduate students and remained here to make a better life for 
themselves and their family, her father as a researcher at the Walter 
Reed National Military Medical Center and her mother as a scientist for 
the National Institutes of Health.
  Given her parents' background, Katherine is no stranger to public 
service, and through her parents' hard work and dedication to make a 
better life for their daughter, she was able to attend Yale University 
and Harvard Law, became a talented trade lawyer, and was nominated by 
President Biden to lead the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. I 
have a deep appreciation for the Tais, their work ethic and their 
commitment to family. Representation matters, and Ms. Tai will be a 
representative for the United States in more ways than one.
  Ms. Tai is a highly-qualified nominee with the experience to lead the 
U.S. trade policy at a critical time for our country, specifically as 
we continue to recover from the damage wrought by the coronavirus 
pandemic and rebuild our relationships with our allies abroad. She is a 
person who can help mend relationships and restore alliances.
  Supporters have described her as a knowledgeable, tenacious trade 
expert who will work with a cross-section of advocates and stakeholders 
with the goal of bettering the lives of the American people and 
strengthening our economy at all levels. They have described her 
willingness to build coalitions across party lines, highlighting her 
broad support from both Democrats and Republicans, and from the labor, 
business, and environmental communities. They have referred to her time 
as a trade lawyer at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, where 
she worked to enforce trade agreements with China to hold that country 
accountable before the World Trade Organization. They have highlighted 
her time as a lawyer with the House Ways and Means Committee, where she 
built partnerships and crafted agreements that received broad 
bipartisan approval. These included the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade 
Agreement, which passed the Senate by an 89-10 vote and the House by a 
385-41 vote. Ms. Tai played a key role in crafting the agreement, which 
speaks to her skills and experience.
  Perhaps more importantly, however, Ms. Tai will prioritize trade 
policies that promote workers, families, the environment, and local 
communities. I met with Ms. Tai just after President Biden nominated 
her, and during our conversation, it was clear she understands that 
trade policies have real world implications for everyday people. She 
knows that if trade deals are not working for people, then they need to 
change. People need to come first as we develop trade deals. At a time 
when people are still working to recover from the coronavirus, Ms. Tai 
is the Trade Representative we need for the United States.
  A family emergency has prevented me from being here for today's vote, 
but if I were present, I would have voted to confirm Katherine Tai as 
U.S. Trade Representative.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support her nomination.

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