WASHINGTON – The US Senate on March 17, by a vote of 98 to zero, confirmed Katherine Tai as US Trade Representative.

Tai, the daughter of immigrants from Taiwan, is the first woman of color and first Asian-American to be named the top US trade negotiator. She most recently served as the top Democratic trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee. In that role, she played a major part in negotiations on the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement. Earlier, she worked in the Office of the US Trade Representative, beginning in 2007 and advanced to chief counsel for China enforcement in 2011. 

Zippy Duval, president, American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), said, “AFBF congratulates Katherine Tai on her confirmation to serve as the next United States Trade Representative. We have a great opportunity to build on existing agreements with China and our North American neighbors, as well as create new opportunities with the European Union and the United Kingdom. Ms. Tai’s ability to build bipartisan support for policies and her experience with enforcing fair-trade rules will help America’s farmers and ranchers compete internationally and continue putting food on tables around the world.”