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	Katherine Tai, Trade Representative
Parent agency	Executive Office of the President

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) is a special agency that works for the U.S. government. Its main job is to create and promote trade policies for the United States with other countries.

USTR is part of the Executive Office of the President. It is led by the United States Trade Representative. This person is a top advisor to the U.S. President on all things related to trade. They also act as the main negotiator and spokesperson for the U.S. on trade issues. USTR has over 200 employees. They have offices in Geneva, Switzerland, and Brussels, Belgium.

USTR was first created in 1962. It was called the Office of the Special Trade Representative (STR) back then. This agency leads trade talks with other countries, both one-on-one and in larger groups. It also works with other government agencies to make sure trade policies are clear. USTR helps with things like foreign investments and protecting new ideas (intellectual property). They also help solve trade disagreements, especially at the World Trade Organization. The current United States Trade Representative is Katherine Tai.

What USTR Does

Leading the Office

The person in charge of USTR is called the United States Trade Representative (USTR). This is a very important job, almost like being in the President's main team, the Cabinet. However, it's not technically a Cabinet department.

To get this job, the President chooses someone. Then, the Senate must approve that person with a simple vote. The United States Trade Representative and their deputies are given the special 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 presidency of Donald Trump. Katherine Tai has been serving during the presidency of Joe Biden.

Working with the World Trade Organization

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

How USTR Started

Trade talks became much more complex in the 1900s. This was because of new global groups and faster ways to do business. 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, Congress gave this position more power. They made it a Cabinet-level job. Finally, in 1980, the position was renamed the United States Trade Representative. In 1988, a new law made the USTR's role even bigger. It said the USTR should lead trade policy, advise the President, and be the main spokesperson for U.S. trade talks. The USTR also had to report to both the President and Congress.

Areas USTR Works On

USTR works on many different trade topics. Here are some of them:

• Agriculture (farming products)
• Economy and trade rules
• Making sure trade rules are followed
• Environmental issues related to trade
• Government buying and selling
• Industry and manufacturing
• Protecting new ideas (intellectual property)
• Labor (worker rights)
• Special trade programs
• Services and investments
• Helping small businesses
• Textiles and clothing
• Trade and development for other countries
• Working with trade groups like the World Trade Organization (WTO), Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

Important Reports

The National Trade Estimate

The National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers is a report USTR puts out every year. It talks about big problems that stop U.S. products from being sold in other countries. Since 1986, this report has also tried to show how much these problems affect U.S. exports. It also shares what actions are being taken to fix these issues.

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 yearly report from USTR. It identifies countries that do not properly protect intellectual property rights. This means they might not stop people from copying inventions, music, or movies without permission. The report also looks at countries that make it hard for U.S. companies to use their intellectual property fairly.

The report names "priority foreign countries." These are countries with the biggest problems in protecting intellectual property. They also have the largest negative impact on U.S. products. The report also checks if these countries are trying to fix the problems.

Notorious Markets

Since 2010, USTR has published a separate report called "Notorious Markets." This report lists places, often online, where a lot of copyright infringement happens. This means people are illegally copying and sharing 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	3 years, 308 days
—		Millán, JuanJuan Millán Acting	January 20, 2025	February 27, 2025	38 days		Trump, DonaldDonald Trump (2025–present)
20		Greer, JamiesonJamieson Greer	February 27, 2025	Incumbent	148 days

See also

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

• International Trade Administration
• United States International Trade Commission
• United States Commercial Service