Getting Started

To begin searching within the
Government Manual simply type
in a keyword or phrase
to find your match.


Office of the United States Trade Representative

600 Seventeenth Street NW., Washington, DC 20508

202-395-3230
http://www.ustr.gov

UNITED STATES TRADE REPRESENTATIVEKatherine C. Tai
https://ustr.gov/about-us/biographies-key-officials

ASSISTANT U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVES

ASSISTANT U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVES
AdministrationFred Ames
AfricaConstance Hamilton
Agricultural Affairs and Commodity PolicyJulie Callahan
China AffairsTerrence J. McCartin
Congressional AffairsJan Beukelman
Environment and Natural ResourcesKelly K. Milton
Europe and the Middle EastL. Daniel Mullaney
Innovation and Intellectual PropertyDaniel Lee
Intergovernmental AffairsSirat Attapit
Japan, Korea, and Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) AffairsMichael Beeman
LaborLewis Karesh
Media and Public AffairsAdam Hodge
Monitoring and EnforcementJuan A. Millan
Private Sector Engagement(vacancy)
Public EngagementJulie Green
Services and InvestmentDaniel Bahar
Small Business, Market Access and Industrial CompetitivenessJames Sanford
South and Central AsiaChristopher Wilson
Southeast Asia and the PacificKarl Ehlers
TextilesWilliam D. Jackson
Trade Policy and EconomicsEdward Gresser
Western HemisphereDaniel Watson
World Trade Organization (WTO) and Multilateral AffairsDawn Shackleford
https://ustr.gov/about-us/organization

The United States Trade Representative formulates trade policy for and directs all trade negotiations of the United States.

The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) was created as the Office of the Special Representative for Trade Negotiations by Executive Order 11075 of January 15, 1963 (28 FR 473–475).

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-1963-01-18/pdf/FR-1963-01-18.pdf

The Trade Act of 1974 (PL 93–618) established the Office of the USTR as an agency of the Executive Office of the President charged with administering the trade agreements program.

https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-88/pdf/STATUTE-88-Pg1978-2.pdf

The Office sets and administers overall trade policy. The USTR heads the Office and serves as the President's principal adviser, negotiator, and spokesperson on international trade and investment issues. The Representative acts as the chief representative of the United States in all General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade activities; in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development discussions, meetings, and negotiations that deal primarily with commodity issues and trade; in U.N. Conference on Trade and Development negotiations and other multilateral institution negotiations that deal primarily with commodity issues and trade; in other bilateral and multilateral negotiations that deal primarily with commodities or trade, including East-West trade; in negotiations under sections 704 and 734 of the Tariff Act of 1930 (19 U.S.C. 1671c and 1673c); and in negotiations on direct investment incentives and disincentives and on bilateral investment issues concerning barriers to investment.

The Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 codified these authorities and added additional authority, including the implementation of section 301 actions that enforce U.S. rights under international trade agreements.

The USTR serves as a Cabinet-level official with the rank of Ambassador and reports directly to the President. The Chief Agricultural Negotiator and three Deputy U.S. Trade Representatives also hold the rank of Ambassador—two of the deputies are located in Washington, DC, and the other serves in Geneva, Switzerland.

The USTR is also an ex officio member on the boards of directors of the Export-Import Bank and the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. The Representative also serves on the National Advisory Council on International Monetary and Financial Policy.

https://ustr.gov/about-us

Sources of Information

Archived Records

The "Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States" indicates that USTR records have been assigned to record group 364.

https://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/364.html

Blog

"Tradewinds" is the official blog of the USTR.

https://ustr.gov/tradewinds

Contact Information

Email addresses and phone numbers are available on the "Contact Us" web page.

Members of the media may contact the Press Office to find answers to questions, to obtain information, or to schedule interviews.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office

Factsheets

The USTR releases factsheets on trade issues.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/fact-sheets

Federal Register

Documents that the Office of the USTR recently published in the Federal Register are accessible online.

https://www.federalregister.gov/agencies/trade-representative-office-of-united-states

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)

Requests must be made in writing: Freedom of Information Officer, Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, 1724 F Street NW., Washington, DC 20508. Security procedures can slow down mail receipt and processing. Sending a request by email or fax avoids security-related delays. To facilitate finding the desired information, a record description must contain key details—author, date, recipient, subject matter, title or name. The Office of the USTR operates a FOIA requester service center. Phone, 202-395-3419. Fax, 202-395-9458.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/reading-room/foia | Email: FOIA@ustr.eop.gov

The electronic FOIA Library contains information that is made available on a routine basis to the public. It also features documents that are frequently requested under the FOIA. This collection of online documents continues to grow as records in which the public expresses an interest are added.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/reading-room/freedom-information-act-foia/foia-library

History

In 1963, President John F. Kennedy created a new Office of the Special Trade Representative in the Executive Office of the President and designated two new Deputies, one in the Nation's capital and the other in Geneva, Switzerland. The rest of the story is available on the website of the Office of the USTR.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/history

Key Issues

The Office of the USTR focuses it's trade policy on 14 issue areas: agriculture, economy and trade, enforcement, environment, government procurement, industry and manufacturing, intellectual property, labor, preference programs, services and investment, small business, textiles and apparel, trade and development, and trade organizations.

https://ustr.gov/issue-areas

Map

The United States has trade relations with more than 200 countries, territories, and regional associations worldwide.

https://ustr.gov/countries-regions

Organization Structure

the Office of the USTR does not have an organizational chart posted on its website; however, the "Organization Structure" web page does provide an outline of its structure that is based on five organizational lines of activities.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/organization/organization-structure

Press Releases

The Office of the USTR posts press releases on its website.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/press-releases

Reports / Publications

The Office of the USTR posts reports and publications on its website.

https://ustr.gov/about-us/policy-offices/press-office/reports-and-publications

Social Media

The Office of the USTR has a presence on social media: Flickr, Twitter, Vimeo, and YouTube.

https://ustr.gov/tradewinds/social

The above Sources of Information were updated 1–2021.