Citing administration’s IP waiver support, Sen. Lee blocks Pagán nomination

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) on Wednesday announced he would hold up María Pagán’s nomination as U.S. ambassador to the World Trade Organization – a deputy U.S. Trade Representative role – until he receives “assurances” from the Biden administration related to the proposed, and controversial, WTO waiver of some intellectual property obligations for pandemic-related products. Pagán, deputy general counsel at USTR, last month was advanced out of the Senate Finance Committee 27-1. A few senators raised concerns about the waiver, which...