DeLauro Statement on Deputy USTR Nomination

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) released a statement in response the nomination of Nelson Cunningham as Deputy USTR:

“I was incredibly surprised at the nomination of Nelson Cunningham as Deputy U.S. Trade Representative, given that he has spent much of his career promoting corporate interests and supported trade policies that put maximizing profits for the biggest corporations over middle-class American workers. From co-founding an international consulting firm with Henry Kissinger to serving as a Special Advisor in an administration whose trade policies resulted in the loss of thousands of high-quality, American manufacturing jobs across the country, Mr. Cunningham’s resume is contrary to the worker-centered trade agenda that the Biden administration is pursuing.

“Our trade nominees should have a track record of fighting off efforts to outsource good-paying American jobs. On these metrics, Mr. Cunningham has failed. For far too long, the rules have been rigged against middle-class American workers. We must continue to fight to stop trade policies that lower wages and ship jobs overseas. The administration should be promoting trade nominees that reflect worker-centered trade values in the future, not the failed trade policies of the past.”