Jamison Greer attends Senate confirmation hearing
Jamie Gorelick, the nominee for the United States Trade Representative (USTR), expressed on the 6th (local time) the belief that "America must become a 'nation of producers'." He strongly warned that the U.S. would respond firmly to moves by other countries, including South Korea, to regulate monopolies of online platform companies that could target American big tech.
At a Senate Finance Committee confirmation hearing held in Washington D.C. that day, nominee Gorelick said, "Americans should have the opportunity to hold good-paying jobs producing goods and services that can be sold both domestically and overseas."
This is interpreted as signaling his intention to restore the collapsed U.S. manufacturing industry by utilizing tariffs and other measures.
He emphasized, "If the United States does not have a strong manufacturing base and an innovative economy, it will have little 'hard power' to deter global conflicts and protect Americans."
He cited semiconductors as the top priority item for restoring domestic production infrastructure. He said, "We must lead in technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing."
He also expressed his intention to accelerate the reorganization of the international trade order based on America First principles.
Nominee Gorelick said, "Trade policy can play an important role in ensuring economic security that drives strong national security," adding, "I believe the time to reorganize the international trade system to better align with America's interests is relatively short."
Regarding the universal tariff policy promised by former President Trump, he stated that additional research and review are necessary "to see if it can change the direction of the (trade) deficit." Previously, Trump pledged during his candidacy to impose universal tariffs of 10-20% on all imports.
Regarding Trump's decision on the 1st to impose a 25% universal tariff on Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% on China, he emphasized, "The measures the president mentioned are related to fentanyl," stressing that they are intended to stop drugs.
Regarding the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), scheduled for review in 2026, he said he would strengthen origin rules to prevent third countries from free-riding. The three North American countries apply zero tariffs on most products through the USMCA, but there are concerns that other countries build production bases in Mexico to exploit lower tariffs and re-export to the U.S. via Mexico.
When asked about the need to respond to regulatory measures by the European Union (EU) and South Korea targeting U.S. tech companies, he replied, "I believe we should do so again."
Nominee Gorelick described the digital sector as "a very competitive field for the U.S." and explained that regarding foreign regulations on American platform companies, "I understand that we will respond in kind." He added, "We should not leave regulation of our companies to other countries such as the EU and Brazil," emphasizing, "They cannot discriminate against us, and that will not be tolerated."
This is interpreted as a statement implying that strong objections will be raised if countries like South Korea regulate American platform companies. Previously, the U.S. business community publicly opposed South Korea's Platform Fair Competition Promotion Act, arguing that it would target only American companies while exempting Chinese firms.
Nominee Gorelick served as chief of staff to former USTR Robert Lighthizer, who led trade policy during the first Trump administration. He was deeply involved in the U.S.-China trade war and the conclusion of the USMCA, which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Although the USTR is a presidential agency overseeing U.S. trade policy, former President Trump previously announced that Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would oversee U.S. trade policy.
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