The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday voted 15-12 to favorably report the nomination of Jamieson Greer to be the U.S. trade representative despite Democratic concerns about his support for President Donald Trump’s trade agenda.
Greer was the chief of staff for former U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and is now a partner at King and Spalding law firm. During his time at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, Greer helped negotiate the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on trade as well as the U.S.-Japan agreement.
“I’m confident that Mr. Greer has the experience and determination to advocate successfully for American farmers, ranchers, workers and manufacturers. Importantly, he was very clear that he is committed to reporting to and consulting with Congress,” Chairman Michael D. Crapo, R-Idaho, said.
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., was the only Democrat to vote to advance the nominee.
“I am hopeful Mr. Greer and I will find areas of alignment to advance Rhode Islanders’ economic interests,” he said in a statement issued by his office. Whitehouse won’t consent to fast-tracking the nomination on the floor, his office said.
The committee held Greer’s confirmation hearing Feb. 6, when he was questioned about his support for Trump’s tariff plans and various trade agreements. His answers did not appear to sway most Democrats’ concerns about his role.
“Since this committee last met to consider this nomination, the Trump trade agenda has continued to be a swampy mess,” said ranking member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., who voted against the nominee. “As far as I can tell, Mr. Greer appears in lockstep with President Trump, including supporting the use of tariffs for revenue, which is a tax that hits working Americans the hardest.”
Greer signaled during the hearing that he would suggest changes to the USMCA ahead of its scheduled 2026 review. Trump issued a memo on Jan. 20 ordering USTR to begin taking public comments on the agreement.
Greer said the U.S. should “look closely at things like the rules of origin to make sure that third countries or foreign countries of concern are not inadvertently or deliberately benefiting or free riding on the agreement at the expense of America and our trading partners.”
His comments came after Trump signed executive orders imposing 25 percent tariffs on Mexico and Canada, only to pause those tariffs two days later for a month. Mexico is the top U.S. top trading partner, with Canada second and China third, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Trump imposed 10 percent tariffs on China that went into effect last week. The president signed executive orders Monday putting 25 percent tariffs on all steel and aluminum imports.
“He seems to have no quarrel with Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, with no strategy or plan to leverage them into trade wins for American stakeholders,” Wyden said Tuesday.
“I simply do not have confidence that Mr. Greer will be in the room for important trade and tariff decisions, unlike previous representatives of this office. He said Donald Trump’s use of tariffs to settle scores on issues unrelated to trade are not a trade issue, and therefore not something he would expect to be involved with if confirmed,” Wyden said.
Greer weighed in on U.S. trade relations with China at the hearing and said that “granting China permanent normal trade relations is one major cause of why we’re in the situation we’re in now with unbalanced trade.”
Ending China’s permanent normal trade status, also known as most favored nation status, is a Republican goal. Congress granted the status to China in 2000 as the country prepared to join the World Trade Organization. The move granted China preferential tariff treatment.
Trump’s Jan. 20 memo also directed the Commerce secretary to assess legislative proposals related to China’s status and make recommendations.
Howard Lutnick is Trump’s nominee for secretary, and Greer is expected to work under Lutnick’s direction. Trump said the Commerce Department would have “additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative.”
Greer also signaled that he wants to hold China compliant with the so-called phase one agreement between the U.S. and China after the two countries slapped mutual tariffs on one another’s goods during Trump’s first term. The Jan. 20 memo directed USTR to review the agreement and make recommendations.
China committed in that deal to purchase an additional $200 billion in U.S. goods over 2020 and 2021. The Peterson Institute for International Economics reported in 2022 that commitment fell short, with China buying only 58 percent of the goods agreed upon, not enough to reach its import levels before the trade war started.
“We don’t just want to pound our fist and have rhetoric. We want to be able to very clearly see where they did or did not comply,” Greer said. “And then from there, you move to dispute settlement and you move to enforcement, if you need to. ”
Greer also touched on his plans for the agricultural sector. He proposed expanding agricultural markets, saying that the average tariff ceiling on agricultural products is 39 percent in India and nearly 40 percent in Turkey.
“These are markets where they need to open to the United States, and I think we need to use all the tools at our disposal to do so,” Greer said.
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