President-Elect Joe Biden has nominated Katherine Tai to be the US Trade Representative.

Since 2017, she has been the chief trade counsel for the House Ways and Means Committee and previously served in the Office of the United States Trade Representative as chief counsel for China Trade Enforcement. The following statement may be attributed to National Pork Producers Council President Howard “AV” Roth, a hog farmer from Wauzeka, Wisconsin.

“We congratulate Katherine Tai on her nomination. Her deep trade experience in Congress and the executive branch will serve her well as our next US Trade Representative. Opening new and expanding existing markets for US pork exports–through regional or bilateral trade agreements and initiatives–are vital to the continued success of the US pork industry.

"As the largest pork-exporting nation, United States trade policy has tremendous ramifications for each of our hog farmers. We look forward to working with her on numerous trade-related issues, including the United States re-joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a US-UK free trade agreement that removes tariffs and all non-science-based barriers, and expanding access in heavily protected markets such as Vietnam, the Philippines, Thailand, India, Australia, South Africa, Brazil, Ecuador, the EU and Jamaica.”