Veterans of the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative say sharp staff and spending cuts across the federal government being led by Elon Musk’s “Department of Government Efficiency” are unlikely to touch the notoriously lean USTR, though offices it works with at other agencies could still be at risk.
February 14, 2025
World Trade Online
The U.S. and India will open negotiations on a trade pact with the aim of lowering Washington’s trade deficit with New Delhi, President Trump said following a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
President Trump on Thursday said he does not expect trading partners to change their tariff rates in response to “reciprocal” tariffs he has pledged to impose, though others in the administration say they do.
The Trump administration hopes to ink a trade deal with India by the end of this year, a senior White House official said Thursday, citing positive early gestures by New Delhi.
Joseph Barloon, a trade lawyer and former general counsel at the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, is the first to be tapped by President Trump for a deputy USTR role, getting the nod to serve as the U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization.
Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) on Wednesday renewed her call to end de minimis tariff waivers for all shipments worth $800 or less, attacking as a “half measure” President Trump’s now-scrapped order disqualifying Chinese imports while conceding that broader reform will require a “transitional” phase-in.