President Obama Sets Deadline for Trade Agency Consolidation Proposal

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March 25, 2011

President Obama has taken concrete steps to set into motion a plan to reorganize and consolidate federal agencies, starting with trade and export agencies, which he announced during his January State of the Union address. On March 11, 2011, President Obama issued a memorandum establishing a Government Reform for Competitiveness and Innovation Initiative, and set a 90-day deadline for preparing a Trade Agency Consolidation proposal. The president has assigned Jeffrey Zients to the role of Chief Performance Officer (CPO) and Lisa Brown, staff secretary to the President, has been appointed as executive director of the study.   The Administration’s reform efforts are aimed at aligning resources to help negotiate the best agreements, enforce trade rights, and support exporters, thereby giving American companies a leg up in the global economy. The Administration aims to consolidate and streamline the agencies involved in trade in order to increase efficiency and productivity. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT) has advised caution regarding the reorganization efforts, stating that the reorganization could end up an “absolute nightmare.” In particular Senator Baucus pointed out that potentially merging the United States Trade Representative with another agency would increase bureaucracy and potentially hinder its ability to act quickly.

 

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