U.S. Sens. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Mike Rounds (R-SD), and Todd Young (R-IN) urged President Joe Biden to fill several empty seats on the United States International Trade Commission (ITC), which plays a crucial role in setting and implementing U.S. trade policy.
“The current vacancies and expired terms jeopardize the ability of the ITC to do its job,” wrote the senators in an April 18 letter sent to President Biden. “As the U.S. faces unfair competition in crucial economic industries, it is vital that we have a fully-staffed ITC that puts workers first and truly protects American businesses.”
The bipartisan letter, which was led by U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), requests that Biden nominate qualified individuals to fill the two vacancies and the three seats that have expired, and to prepare to fill the one that will expire this year.
“If we are to maintain this economic leadership, we must use all of our trade enforcement tools to allow American workers and businesses to compete fairly,” the senators wrote. “This begins with nominating and confirming quality candidates for the vacancies on the ITC.”
A fully-staffed ITC, they added, stands a better chance of fulfilling its mission to provide relief to American industries from illegal foreign trade practices.
“Personnel is policy, and we look forward to working with you to nominate and confirm qualified individuals to the ITC as quickly as possible,” wrote Sens. Capito, Rounds, Young, and their colleagues.