The Office of the United States Trade Representative

Since its creation through the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has helped liberalize economies, negotiate trade agreements, and coordinate U.S. trade policy. Although situated within the Executive Office of the President, the USTR is best seen through the lens of legislative action. Congress has used successive trade acts to both expand and constrain the Office, while forcing it to reconcile multilateral goals with unilateral domestic objectives. An examination of the USTR\u27s developmental stages identifies the congressional impact upon the Office and the resulting political balance