Katherine Tai

It’s been over four years since the United States has entered into a free trade agreement.  Many in the Ag community will say that is one of the many pressures making farming more challenging these days.  House Ag Committee member Dan Newhouse said the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative h...

The USDA is forecasting a record farm trade deficit next year, which raises the specter of an earlier debate and questions over the administration’s policy not to do free trade agreements.  The $42.5 billion farm trade deficit, if realized, again raises the issue of the administration rejecting market-opening free trade deals.   “...

Both parties challenged U.S. Trade Ambassador Katherine Tai repeatedly on the administration’s failure to negotiate market-opening free trade deals and even pursuing a ‘go-it-alone’ policy without consulting lawmakers on trade.   “Congres...

Earlier this month, U.S. Trade Representative’s Office requested technical consultations with Mexico regarding its proposed ban on GMO corn imports from the U.S.  The request is under the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Chapter of USMCA.  Ag Secretary ...

On Monday, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office requested technical consultations with the Government of Mexico under USMCA.  The consultations, as part of the USMCA Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures Chapter, are aimed at Mexico’s ban on genetically modified corn.   “The United ...

Earlier this week, Trade Representative Katherine Tai announced the second USMCA dispute settlement panel regarding Canada’s dairy tariff-rate quota allocation measures.  The United States is challenging Canada’s revised dairy TRQ allocation measures that use a market-share approach for determining TRQ allocations.  Through these measu...

Senate Finance Committee Chair Oregon’s Ron Wyden, and Ranking Member Idaho’s Mike Crapo, are calling for the administration to continue to press for strong enforcement of USMCA.  Thursday’s letter to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai says such enforcement will ensure American trading partners live up to their obligations.   Crapo and Wyden sa...

Secretary Tom Vilsack said with the new Ag trade team of Alexis Taylor and Doug McKalip in place, U.S. producers will soon see the benefits.  Both were confirmed to their trade posts by the Senate last month.  Taylor, the former head of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, to head USDA’s Foreign Ag Service as Undersecretary for Trade; and McKalip as Chief Ag Negotiator at the U.S. Trade Represent

Doug McKalip, was confirmed as President Biden’s Chief Ag Trade Negotiator with the U.S. Trade Representative’s office just before Christmas.  He now faces a huge challenge to expand overseas market access.  It’s not a new issue for McKalip, who has roughly 30 years’ experience at USDA, including as an advisor to Secretary Vilsack.   “Recently at USDA, I helped spearh...

After nearly two years vacant, the Senate confirmed Doug McKalip to be Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the United States Trade Representative Thursday.  After the vote, USTR, Katherine Tai said McKalip has generated broad, bipartisan support from Members of Congress, governors, and state agriculture commissioners, and also received strong endorsements from key stakeholders.  Tai add...