Office of the U.S. Trade Representative

U.S. Trade Policy

American trade policy aims to create growth and raise living standards by opening markets abroad and maintaining an open-market policy at home; promote the rule of law and defend the rights of U.S. workers, farmers and businesses, and create worldwide opportunities for economic development and technological progress. Our work proceeds in the World Trade Organization, in regional fora in each part of the world, and with all our major trading partners as well as through the execution of American trade laws.

USTR's Role in Trade Policy

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. international trade, commodity, and direct investment policy, and leading or directing negotiations with other countries on such matters. The U.S. Trade Representative is a Cabinet member who serves as the President’s principal trade advisor, negotiator, and spokesperson on trade and related investment matters.

Like the National Security Council or Council of Economic Advisors, USTR is part of the Executive Office of the President. Through an interagency structure, the USTR coordinates trade policy, resolves disagreements, and frames issues for Presidential decision. The USTR also serves as Vice Chairman of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC), is a non-voting member of the Export-Import Bank, and a member of the National Advisory Committee on International Monetary and Financial Policies.

"USTR" refers both to the agency and to the agency head, the U.S. Trade Representative.

Our Expertise

The agency provides trade policy leadership and negotiating expertise in its major areas of responsibility, including:

The agency also has administrative responsibility for the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) and Section 301 complaints against foreign unfair trade practices, as well as Section 1377, Section 337 and import relief cases under Section 201.

Interagency Coordination

USTR engages in extensive interagency coordination on trade policy matters. Such coordination is accomplished through the Trade Policy Review Group (TPRG) and the Trade Policy Staff Committee (TPSC). These groups, administered and chaired by USTR and composed of 17 Federal agencies and offices, make up the sub-cabinet-level mechanism for developing and coordinating U.S. Government positions on international trade and trade-related investment issues.

The TPSC is the primary operating group, with representation at the senior civil servant level. Supporting the TPSC are more than 60 subcommittees responsible for specialized areas and several task forces that work on particular issues. If agreement is not reached in the TPSC, or if significant policy questions are being considered, then issues are taken up by the TPRG (Deputy USTR/Under Secretary level).

The final tier of the interagency trade policy mechanism is the National Economic Council (NEC), chaired by the President. The NEC Deputies’ committee considers memoranda from the TPRG, as well as important or controversial trade-related issues.

Coordination with the Private Sector*- Including Civil Society

The private sector* plays a continuing role in trade negotiations through the mechanism of advisory committees. This advisory process has been extremely successful during negotiations on China’s accession to the WTO; the multilateral agreements on information technology, financial services and basic telecommunications; as well as the NAFTA and Uruguay Round negotiations, the Summit of the Americas and in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) initiatives. Congress provided for continuation of the advisory process in the Trade Agreements Act of 1979. The committees' role has been expanded to include advice on the operation of trade Agreements, on the development and implementation of overall U.S. trade policy, and on priorities for actions to implement such policy.

Primary objectives of the private sector advisory system are: to consult with the U.S. government on negotiation of trade agreements, to assist in monitoring compliance with the agreements and to provide input and advice on the development of U.S. trade policy. The advisory system is composed of a series of Committees with differing responsibilities. The Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN), a Presidentially appointed committee, has 45 members from representative elements of the U.S. economy with international trade interests. Its mandate is to provide overall policy guidance on trade issues.

At the next level, the six policy advisory committees include the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee, the Trade Advisory Committee on Africa, the Agricultural Policy Advisory Committee, Labor Advisory Committee, Defense Policy Advisory Committee, and Trade and Environment Policy Advisory Committee. Each committee provides advice based upon the perspective of its specific sector or area.

In addition, functional committees have been established to monitor certain codes of conduct negotiated during Tokyo Round negotiations on the GATT. The Industry Sector Advisory Committees have two such functional committees: customs valuation and standards. The Labor Advisory Committee has three such functional committees: government procurement, standards, and unfair trade practices. Finally, a committee has been established to deal exclusively with intellectual property issues.

Working with Congress

Since its creation, USTR has maintained close consultation with Congress. Five Members from each House are formally appointed under statute as official Congressional advisors on trade policy, and additional Members may be appointed as advisors on particular issues or negotiations. Liaison activities between the agency and Congress are extensive.

USTR has offices in Washington, D.C. and in Geneva, Switzerland. The Washington, D.C. office of USTR is structured along five organizational lines:

USTR's Geneva Office is organized to cover general WTO affairs, Non-Tariff Agreements, Agricultural Policy, Commodity Policy and the Harmonized Code System. Special attention is given to textiles with one member of the staff designated as U.S. Representative to the Textiles Surveillance Body. The Geneva Deputy USTR is the U.S. Ambassador to the WTO and to the UNCTAD on commodity matters. The Geneva staff represents the United States' interests in negotiations, and in other contacts on trade and trade policy in both forums.

* The term "private sector" shall be taken to include business, labor, environmental, consumer, and other non-governmental organizations and the Advisory Committee System. The Advisory Committee System, established by Congress in 1974, ensures that U.S. trade policy and trade negotiation objectives adequately reflect U.S. commercial and economic interests. Congress expanded and enhanced the role of this system in three subsequent trade acts. The term "private sector" shall also include state and local associations, sub-federal governments and official state points of contact, although the latter are in fact public offices.