Biden trade chief to join White House Competition Council

The top US trade official, Ambassador Katherine Tai, will join President Joe Biden’s council dedicated to promoting economic competition.

Tai will join the White House Competition Council, which was created by Biden’s 2021 executive order. Tai’s inclusion marks the latest signal that the Biden administration plans to crack down on corporate power as part of its revitalized trade agenda.

“Our new approach to trade prioritizes fair competition in the global economy to reduce vulnerabilities and supply chain chokepoints and reverse the race to the bottom,” Tai said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Competition Council to ensure that trade policy supports President Biden’s goal of building our economy from the middle out and the bottom up.”

Trade policy has traditionally been dominated by pro-business interests, but the US Trade Representative’s office under Tai has focused on using trade to rein in corporate misbehavior. 

The US Trade Representative has faced a wave of criticism from progressives who say they have allowed corporate America to shape the US trade agenda. Critics have focused in particular on USTR’s negotiations over the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, or IPEF. 

“Promoting fair and competitive markets is a core part of our trade policy,” said Hannah Garden-Monheit, director for competition council policy at the National Economic Council. 

The White House Competition Council has focused on curbing anticompetitive practices in industries ranging from technology to pharmaceuticals to agriculture.