A Full Plate for the New US Trade Czar

The newly confirmed U.S. trade representative, Katherine Tai, is about as qualified as a person can be for the job. Which is a good thing, because she will immediately face a series of challenges.

They won't necessarily be the trade issues that grab the biggest headlines, like tough new negotiations with major rivals. In fact, one of the most important tasks ahead for Tai is simply enforcement of existing deals with close U.S. trading partners.

Well-thought-out, well-enforced trade deals benefit all Americans, ensuring lower prices for consumers, higher earnings for businesses, and protections for workers and the environment. As the president's main advisor and negotiator on trade, Tai is charged with making sure these agreements work like they're supposed to. Her success will be crucial to our country's post-pandemic economic recovery.

For starters, America's neighbors to the North and South may be undermining the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — the USMCA — which entered into force just last year. As chief trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee, Tai herself helped take the deal across the finish line.