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Trump names U.S. Trade Rep

Robert Lighthizer has been named as the new U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) by the Trump administration.

Lighthizer previously served as deputy USTR under President Ronald Reagan, negotiated dozens of international trade policies and addressed trade policy constraints in the private sector.

U.S. Grains Council trade policy director Floyd Gaibler tells Brownfield Lighthizer is well qualified for the position and an asset to agricultural trade.  “He was in charge of the industry areas, particularly agriculture, investment and trade policies, so he obviously understands the importance of agricultural trade policies since that was part of his portfolio.”

Gaibler says U.S. agriculture is facing a challenging time, making trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership and NAFTA even more critical.  “It will be a challenging year for us to try and address some of these major trade policy issues and hopefully make some progress on them so that we can help turnaround and help make our food and ag sectors more prosperous again over the long-term.”

Gaibler says while President-elect Donald Trump has yet to name his pick for the next U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, he hopes the USDA Under Secretary for Trade position, which was established under the 2014 farm bill, will be an early priority.

AUDIO: Interview with Floyd Gaibler

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