By Clint Thompson
Jamieson Greer’s confirmation as the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) is a win for production agriculture. He provides experience at a job that will require plenty to navigate the various challenges that lie ahead.
Bob Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington D.C., discussed the impact of Greer’s confirmation by the Senate, which was 56-43.
“For ag producers across the board, this is very good for production agriculture. I don’t care if it’s specialty crops, tree nuts, row crops; Ambassador Greer has a lot of experience in selling things and addressing problem areas. He was there as chief of staff for Ambassador Lighthizer in the first Trump Administration. He was also involved in the blueberry ITC case,” Redding said.
“There were two separate hearings, one in Florida and one in Georgia on seasonal imports and he was chief of staff at that time. He’s also been helpful with non-tariff trade barriers and has been clear in his confirmation hearing that he’s going to review those issues. We have a number of commodities in production ag that have faced non-tariff trade barriers in multiple countries. I think it’s good for production agriculture. He certainly has the background and experience for it.”
What Greer Had to Say
Greer talked about his confirmation.
“It is my honor to be confirmed by the Senate to serve as President Trump’s US Trade Representative,” said Ambassador Greer. “President Trump recognizes the role unfair trade practices have played in offshoring American jobs and harming our national security. Under President Trump’s leadership, I will work strategically to address unfair trade practices, open new markets, tackle our record trade deficit, and restore America’s ability to become a country of producers. I look forward to building off the many successes from President Trump’s first term to lead USTR in executing a robust trade agenda that puts America First.”