Office of the United States Trade Representative facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Office of the United States Trade Representative

Seal of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
Flag of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative
Agency overview
Formed	1962
Preceding agency	Office of the Special Trade Representative
Headquarters	Winder Building 600 17th St. NW Washington, D.C.
Employees	200
Annual budget	$73 million (FY 2021)
Agency executive	Juan Millán, Acting Trade Representative
Parent agency	Executive Office of the President of the United States

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is a special government office in the United States. Its main job is to create and promote America's trade policies with other countries.

The USTR is part of the President's team. It is led by the U.S. trade representative. This person is the President's top advisor and spokesperson on all trade matters. The USTR has over 200 employees. They work in offices in Washington, D.C., Geneva, Switzerland, and Brussels, Belgium. Juan Millan is currently the acting United States trade representative.

What the USTR Does

The USTR was started in 1962. Back then, it was called the Office of the Special Trade Representative (STR). Its main role is to lead trade talks with other countries. These talks can be between two countries (bilateral) or many countries (multilateral). The USTR also works with other government agencies. They make sure everyone is on the same page about trade rules.

The USTR helps with many trade topics. This includes things like:

• How foreign companies invest in the U.S.
• Agreements about important goods like oil or coffee.
• Protecting ideas and inventions (like patents and copyrights).
• Solving trade disagreements with other nations. This often happens at the World Trade Organization.

Who Leads the USTR?

The person in charge of the USTR is called the United States Trade Representative. This is a very important job. It is considered a Cabinet-level position. This means the person works closely with the President.

To get this job, the President chooses someone. Then, the Senate must approve the choice. The U.S. Trade Representative and their deputies are given the title of ambassador.

Many people have held this important role. For example, Michael Froman was the U.S. Trade Representative from 2013 to 2017. Robert Lighthizer served during the next presidency. More recently, Katherine Tai held the position.

Working with the World Trade Organization

The USTR plays a big part in the World Trade Organization (WTO). The WTO is an international group that deals with trade rules between countries. The USTR's Office of WTO and Multilateral Affairs helps manage this work. They work on agreements like the one about protecting intellectual property rights.

History of the USTR

In the 1900s, trade between countries became much more complex. New technologies made it easier to buy and sell goods globally. Also, more international groups were formed. Because of this, the U.S. government needed a better way to handle trade.

In 1962, Congress passed a law. It said the President should appoint a "Special Representative for Trade Negotiations." This person would advise the President on trade. In the 1970s, this job became even more important. It was made a Cabinet-level position. Finally, in 1980, the position was renamed the United States Trade Representative.

A law in 1988 made the USTR's role even stronger. It stated that the USTR should:

• Coordinate all trade policies.
• Be the President's main trade advisor.
• Be the main spokesperson for U.S. international trade talks.
• Report to both the President and Congress.

Key Trade Areas

The USTR works on many different trade topics. Here are some of the main ones:

• Agriculture: Dealing with farm products and food trade.
• Economy and Trade: Looking at how trade affects the U.S. economy.
• Enforcement: Making sure other countries follow trade agreements.
• Environment: Considering how trade impacts the environment.
• Government Procurement: Rules for how governments buy goods and services.
• Industry and Manufacturing: Supporting U.S. factories and businesses.
• Intellectual Property: Protecting inventions, music, and art from being copied.
• Labor: Making sure trade deals are fair for workers.
• Small Business: Helping smaller U.S. companies trade globally.
• Textiles and Apparel: Trade rules for clothing and fabrics.
• Trade Organizations: Working with groups like the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Important Reports

The USTR publishes reports to share information about trade.

National Trade Estimate Report

The National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers (NTE) is published every year. It points out problems that stop U.S. goods from being sold easily in other countries. The report also tries to estimate how much these problems affect U.S. exports. It includes information on what steps are being taken to fix these barriers. The USTR gets information for this report from other U.S. government agencies.

The Special 301 Report

     Priority Foreign Country      Priority Watch List      Watch List      Section 306 Monitoring      Out-of-Cycle Review/Status Pending

The Special 301 Report is another annual report from the USTR. It identifies countries that do not properly protect intellectual property rights. This includes things like patents, trademarks, and copyrights. It also looks at countries that make it hard for U.S. companies to use their intellectual property fairly.

The report highlights "priority foreign countries." These are countries with the biggest problems in protecting intellectual property. The USTR considers how much these problems hurt U.S. businesses. It also checks if these countries are trying to improve their rules.

Notorious Markets Report

Since 2010, the USTR has published a separate "Notorious Markets Report." This report lists places, both online and physical, where a lot of copyright infringement happens. This means places where people illegally copy and sell things like movies, music, or software.

List of United States Trade Representatives

     Denotes an acting U.S. trade representative

#	Portrait	Name	Term Start	Term End	Duration	President(s)
1		Herter, ChristianChristian Herter	December 10, 1962	December 30, 1966	4 years, 20 days		Kennedy, John F.John F. Kennedy (1961–1963)
							Johnson, LyndonLyndon Johnson (1963–1969)
2		Roth, WilliamWilliam Roth	March 24, 1967	January 20, 1969	1 year, 302 days
3		Gilbert, CarlCarl Gilbert	August 6, 1969	September 21, 1971	2 years, 46 days		Nixon, RichardRichard Nixon (1969–1974)
4		Eberle, WilliamWilliam Eberle	November 12, 1971	December 24, 1974	3 years, 42 days
5		Dent, FrederickFrederick Dent	March 26, 1975	January 20, 1977	1 year, 300 days		Ford, GeraldGerald Ford (1974–1977)
6		Strauss, RobertRobert Strauss	March 30, 1977	August 17, 1979	2 years, 140 days		Carter, JimmyJimmy Carter (1977–1981)
7		Askew, ReubinReubin Askew	October 1, 1979	December 31, 1980	1 year, 91 days
8		Brock, BillBill Brock	January 23, 1981	April 29, 1985	4 years, 96 days		Reagan, RonaldRonald Reagan (1981–1989)
9		Yeutter, ClaytonClayton Yeutter	July 1, 1985	January 20, 1989	3 years, 203 days
10		Hills, CarlaCarla Hills	February 6, 1989	January 20, 1993	3 years, 349 days		Bush, George H. W.George H. W. Bush (1989–1993)
11		Kantor, MickeyMickey Kantor	January 22, 1993	April 12, 1996	3 years, 81 days		Clinton, BillBill Clinton (1993–2001)
—		Barshefsky, CharleneCharlene Barshefsky	April 12, 1996	March 18, 1997	4 years, 283 days
12			March 18, 1997	January 20, 2001
13		Zoellick, RobertRobert Zoellick	February 7, 2001	February 22, 2005	4 years, 15 days		Bush, George W.George W. Bush (2001–2009)
—		Allgeier, PeterPeter Allgeier Acting	February 23, 2005	May 16, 2005	113 days
14		Portman, RobRob Portman	May 17, 2005	May 29, 2006	1 year, 12 days
15		Schwab, SusanSusan Schwab	June 8, 2006	January 20, 2009	2 years, 196 days
—		Allgeier, PeterPeter Allgeier Acting	January 21, 2009	March 17, 2009	55 days		Obama, BarackBarack Obama (2009–2017)
16		Kirk, RonRon Kirk	March 18, 2009	March 15, 2013	3 years, 362 days
—		Marantis, DemetriosDemetrios Marantis Acting	March 15, 2013	May 23, 2013	100 days
—		Sapiro, MiriamMiriam Sapiro Acting	May 23, 2013	June 21, 2013	28 days
17		Froman, MichaelMichael Froman	June 21, 2013	January 20, 2017	3 years, 213 days
—		Pagan, MariaMaria Pagan Acting	January 20, 2017	March 1, 2017	40 days		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2017–2021)
—		Vaughn, StephenStephen Vaughn Acting	March 2, 2017	May 15, 2017	74 days
18		Lighthizer, RobertRobert Lighthizer	May 15, 2017	January 20, 2021	3 years, 250 days
—		Pagan, MariaMaria Pagan Acting	January 20, 2021	March 18, 2021	57 days		Biden, JoeJoe Biden (2021–2025)
19		Tai, KatherineKatherine Tai	March 18, 2021	January 20, 2025	4 years, 97 days
—		Millán, JuanJuan Millán Acting	January 20, 2025	present			Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)

See also

In Spanish: Oficina del Representante Comercial de los Estados Unidos para niños