Sen. Brown Pans Cunningham DUSTR Bid

Ohio Democrat Sen. Sherrod Brown is opposing the nomination of Nelson Cunningham for the position of Deputy US Trade Representative, citing Mr. Cunningham’s past support for the TransPacific Partnership.

“My values have always been clear: I will only support trade nominees who have rejected the failed policies of the past and have a demonstrated record of standing on the side of workers,”  Sen. Brown said in a statement.

“We should not have anyone leading our trade policy who advocated for the Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would have been a terrible deal for Ohio workers,” he continued. “TPP was written by corporations behind closed doors, lacked enforceable labor and currency standards, and would have undermined the American auto supply chain.”

Obama Initiative

The TPP was negotiated during the Administration of former President Obama. President Biden, as Mr. Obama’s Vice President, supported the TPP.  

Following his election, former President Trump pulled the United States out of the TPP negotiations, but the remaining countries involved moved forward, completing a plurilateral agreement that was renamed the Comprehensive and Progressive TransPacific Partnership.

As President,  Mr. Biden has rejected the idea of joining the CPTPP and has steered away from negotiating traditional trade agreements.

Sen. Brown said he also is opposed to Mr. Cunningham because a division of the nominee’s firm, McLarty Associates, focused on lobbying for foreign interests, including lobbying for the Chinese company Fuyao Glass beginning in 2019.

Sen. Brown chairs the Senate Banking Committee and is a member of the Finance Committee. Finance Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore) has expressed reservations about the nomination, stating “Experience representing the interests of multinationals is not the same as considering the views of workers in Toledo and small business owners in Medford. While I’m looking forward to fully vetting this nomination and considering how the Finance Committee will proceed, I would like to see candidates with more diverse and representative experience.”

Senate Democrats endorsing Mr. Cunningham’s nomination, include Finance member Mark Warner (Va).  Finance has not yet scheduled a hearing on Mr. Cunningham’s nomination.