Republican senator puts hold on Trump’s trade nominees

A Republican senator put a hold on all of President Trump’s trade nominees until U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer is more responsive to his concerns.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina said Wednesday during a nomination hearing for two of Trump’s trade nominees that he won’t vote on anyone in the “trade space” until Lighthizer responds to his call about a trade-related issue in his state.

{mosads}“The reality of it is, I don’t ask for much,” Scott said during the Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing.

“You can not call me back but you cannot disrespect the companies and the trading partner that is South Carolina,” he said.

“And without more responsiveness and without a commitment for more responsiveness I will not be voting for any nominees in the trade space.”

USTR conceded there was some miscommunication and moved to resolve the issue with Scott after the hearing. 

“Apparently there was a communications breakdown in our office and Amb. Lighthizer did not know Sen. Scott had requested a call,” a USTR spokesperson told The Hill. 

Lighthizer, who was on Capitol Hill before the Finance panel’s hearing, met with Scott after the hearing, according to USTR.

Senate Finance was toward the end of the long-awaited nomination hearing for two deputy U.S. trade representatives — C.J. Mahoney, who is slated to handle U.S. trade policy in China and Africa, and Dennis Shea, who is nominated to represent the United States at the World Trade Organization in Geneva — when Scott announced his plan.

“So while you both, I think, are very qualified, I will be putting a hold on your nominations until I find more responsiveness from Mr. Lighthizer,” Scott said.

Scott, who was the last person to speak at the nearly two-hour nomination hearing, made his announcement to a nearly empty dais, with only top Democrat Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) and new panel member Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) left in the room. 

Scott said he had agreed to support Lighthizer for the job to head the nation’s trade office because the former Washington trade lawyer had promised to be “open, transparent and available.”

But Scott said a phone call to Lighthizer to discuss a trade-related issue in South Carolina Scott was “met with crickets.” 

The two nominees seemed on a glide path to confirmation after six months of waiting by garnering the support of Wyden, until Scott made his remarks. 

The Trump administration has struggled to move nominees through the Senate. The nominations of Mahoney and Shea were both sent to the Senate by the White House last July. 

This story was updated at 2:30 p.m.