As NAFTA round three approaches, confirmation process for trade nominees remains stalled

The Trump administration is heading into a third round of NAFTA negotiations while it pursues a Section 301 investigation into Chinese intellectual property practices and holds talks with South Korea about amending a bilateral free trade agreement -- all without deputies and other senior staff in place within the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. The White House announced the first of U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer’s three deputy nominees in early June and the last one in late July,...