Hatch Announces Finance Committee Hearing on Administration’s 2018 Trade Policy Agenda

WASHINGTON – Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will convene a hearing on Thursday, March 22 on President Trump’s 2018 Trade Policy Agenda. The hearing will take place at 10 a.m. in 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

“After the biggest tax rewrite in more than three decades, it is essential that the president’s trade agenda build on the pro-growth, pro-jobs success,” Hatch said. “President Trump and I share the goal of making trade work for all Americans, and the best way to do that is by pursuing new trade deals that will open up new markets for American goods and services and boost access to new consumers. I have made clear that tariffs are nothing but a tax on American businesses and consumers and I look forward to discussing with Ambassador Lighthizer how the administration can mitigate the damage they cause. Finance Committee members will also have an opportunity to ask Ambassador Lighthizer more about how the administration would use an extension of bipartisan Trade Promotion Authority (TPA), which it requested in its Trade Policy Agenda.”

The following nominees are scheduled to testify:
• Robert Lighthizer, United States Trade Representative (USTR) Ambassador

Who: Senate Finance Committee
What: President’s Trade Policy Agenda Hearing
Where: 215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
When: Thursday, March 22 at 10 a.m.

For media inquiries and additional information, including webcast and testimony details, please visit: http://finance.senate.gov/hearings.

Additional Background: As one of the chief architects of the 2015 TPA law, Hatch fought to secure provisions that would strengthen the role of Congress and require proper consultation between the legislative and executive branches during trade negotiations. A longtime advocate of breaking down trade barriers, Hatch has supported initiatives to enhance America’s competitiveness and increase access to international markets, having worked to successfully navigate several trade agreements through Congress, including agreements with South Korea, Colombia, Panama, Central America and the Dominican Republic (DR-CAFTA), among others.

Earlier this month, Hatch wrote a letter to the president urging him not to implement tariffs on steel and aluminum imports because of their potential to undermine the success of tax reform.

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