The Office of the United States Trade Representative, or USTR, is an arm of the executive branch of the United States government that falls within the Executive Office of the President. It is responsible for the United States' international trade policy at bilateral and multilateral levels.

The head of the office holds the title of United States Trade Representative (USTR), which is a Cabinet-level position (though not technically within the Cabinet). The United States Trade Representative and Deputy United States Trade Representatives (DUSTR) carry the title of Ambassador.

On March 17, 2005, President George W. Bush nominated Congressman Rob Portman as USTR, and he was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on April 29, 2005.

On April 18, 2006, Bush appointed USTR Portman to be his Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), replacing Joshua B. Bolten, who the previous week replaced Andrew Card as White House Chief of Staff. Bush immediately nominated Susan Schwab, the deputy USTR under Portman, to replace Portman as USTR; Schwab was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in June 2006.

The Special 301 Report

Since the early 1980s, the USTR has played a key role in the expansion of intellectual property laws worldwide, and monitored efforts by other governments to protect IP rights. To this end the USTR issues an annual Special 301 Report which "examines in detail the adequacy and effectiveness of intellectual property rights" in many countries around the world. Countries may be designated in the categories of Priority Foreign Country, Section 306 Monitoring, Priority Watch List, or Watch List.

List of United States Trade Representatives

See also

• Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights
• Doha Round
• Generalized System of Preferences
• World Trade Organization

External links

• USTR website
• 2005 Special 301 Report (pdf)

Executive Office of the President of the United States | Members of the Cabinet of the United States | United States Executive Cabinet | United States trade law | Handelsvertreter (Vereinigte Staaten) | Représentant américain au commerce | 米国通商代表部 | 美國貿易代表處