December 19,2008

Finance Chairman Baucus Welcomes Nomination of Kirk for U.S. Trade Representative

Washington, DC – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) released the following statement on President-elect Obama’s nomination of Ron Kirk to be the next United States Trade Representative. The Senate Finance Committee has jurisdiction over U.S. trade policy, and is responsible for the confirmation of the U.S. Trade Representative.

“I welcome today’s nomination of former Dallas mayor Ron Kirk as the next U.S. Trade Representative. Mr. Kirk is a distinguished attorney and former big-city mayor with a long record of accomplishment in both the public and private sectors.He knows the benefits that trade can bring to local communities, and he has worked tirelessly to promote Texas exports overseas. I expect that once confirmed as USTR,he would be just as successful at promoting U.S. exports on a national scale," Baucus said. "Americans have concerns today about what trade might mean for their jobs and their family finances. I look forward to talking with Mr. Kirk about my number-one trade priority, the renewal and expansion of Trade Adjustment Assistance. I want to work with him on smart trade initiatives that will open markets around the world to U.S. farm products, manufactured goods, and services, and that will create good-paying jobs here at home."

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