Opening Statement of Sen. Chuck Grassley for the Nominations of Josette Shiner for Deputy United States Trade Representative and James Jochum for ....

Opening Statement of Sen. Chuck Grassley for the Nominations of
Josette Shiner for Deputy United States Trade Representative
and James Jochum for Assistant Secretary at the U.S. Department of Commerce

It is my pleasure to welcome Josette Shiner and The Honorable Jim Jochum to the Finance Committee today. Ms. Shiner is the President's nominee for the position of Deputy United States Trade Representative. Should she be confirmed, Ms. Shiner will play a key role in formulating U.S. trade policy with Africa and Asia. Assistant Secretary Jim Jochum is the President's nominee to succeed Faryar Shirzad as the Assistant Secretary for Import Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Assistant Secretary for Import Administration is responsible for administering the U.S. trade remedy laws, and thus, also plays an extremely important role in U.S. trade policy. Both of the nominees before us today are well-qualified. They both have the experience that they will need to handle the jobs for which the President has nominated them. And I am sure that both of them are eager to get started in their new roles.

But before I introduce these nominees, I would like to talk about the roles of the USTR and Import Administration in U.S. trade policy. Let me begin by stating how important I think the USTR is to farmers, firms, and workers across the United States. There is no doubt that trade is critical to the American economy. Throughout the past decade, as much as a quarter of all our economic growth has been attributable to exports. Trade has helped keep inflation low and has spurred competition and innovation in the American marketplace. Trade has also created good, high-paying jobs. Export related employment, supporting an estimated 12 million jobs, pays 13 to 18 percent above the prevailing wage. In my home state of Iowa, trade is very important. A significant share of farm produce from Iowa is now destined for overseas markets. For me, the expansion of free trade is critical to the growth of Iowa's economy and the growth of the U.S. economy. So, I am glad to see that the President has embarked on an ambitious trade agenda following the passage of Trade Promotion Authority, and I support USTR's work to open up foreign markets throughout the globe.

Import Administration, within the U.S. Department of Commerce, also serves an important role in U.S. trade policy by enforcing our trade laws to allow U.S. companies and workers to compete on a level playing field. I cannot stress how important it is that this agency conduct its investigations and reviews with integrity and a strict adherence to the laws that govern its procedures. That said, I would first like to welcome Josette Shiner. The President has nominated Ms. Shiner to be Deputy U. S. Trade Representative, with the rank of Ambassador, within the Executive Office of the President. Ms. Shiner is presently the Associate United States Trade Representative. In that capacity she serves as a chief policy strategist on trade and globalization issues and oversees numerous negotiating sectors as well as the agency's communications and outreach operations. Ms. Shiner has a wide-ranging and strong background in policy, journalism and the private sector. Her present and past work experience make her a very able candidate for the job in front of her.

I am also very pleased to welcome the nomination of Assistant Secretary James Jochum. The President has nominated Assistant Secretary Jochum to be the Assistant Secretary for Import Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Assistant Secretary Jochum presently serves as the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of Industry and Security at Commerce. In this position he is responsible for safeguarding U.S. national and economic security by administering U.S. export control laws and formulating export control policy. Before going to Commerce, Assistant Secretary Jochum worked in the private sector and for Congress. And I can personally attest to Jim's ability and integrity, as he is a native Iowan and served as my Legislative Director and International Trade Counsel for a number of years. That said, I would again like to welcome our nominees to the Committee. I look forward to your testimony. However, before turning to that, I would ask each nominee to acknowledge any family members or guests who have come here today and ask those individuals to stand so we may welcome them here today. With that, let me turn to my distinguished friend and colleague, the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee, Senator Baucus.