FEDERALhearing transcript

Senate Hearing on Nominations for Trade and Pension Leadership

Original title: NOMINATIONS OF MARISA LAGO AND W. THOMAS REEDER, JR.

January 1, 2016

nominations trade policy pension security Senate Finance Committee

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The Frame

What this does

This hearing is a procedural step in the confirmation process for two federal officials who will oversee international trade policy and the federal agency responsible for insuring private-sector pension plans.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Marisa Lago

The nominee is undergoing the Senate confirmation process for a federal appointment.

W. Thomas Reeder, Jr.

The nominee is undergoing the Senate confirmation process for a federal appointment.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2016.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on July 23, 2015, to consider the nominations of Marisa Lago as and W. Thomas Reeder, Jr. as Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. The session included opening statements from committee leadership and testimony from both nominees.

Key Facts

The Senate Finance Committee held a hearing on July 23, 2015, to review two executive branch nominations.
Marisa Lago was nominated for the position of Deputy U.S. Trade Representative with the rank of Ambassador.
W. Thomas Reeder, Jr. was nominated for the position of Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.
Chairman Orrin Hatch noted that the administration does not intend for this specific Deputy U.S. Trade Representative role to manage ongoing trade negotiations.
The hearing took place in the Dirksen Senate Office Building, room SD-215.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the role of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation?

The PBGC is a federal agency that protects the retirement incomes of workers in private-sector defined benefit pension plans.

What does a Deputy U.S. Trade Representative do?

The position is a high-level diplomatic role within the Office of the United States Trade Representative, though the Chairman noted this specific role would not be managing active trade negotiations.

Why It Matters

News Coverage

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Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Limited Scope of Deputy USTR Role

The Chairman explicitly noted that the administration had decided not to empower this specific Deputy USTR position to manage trade negotiations, which he described as unusual.

Marisa Lago Office of the United States Trade Representative

Connected Entities

personOrrin G. Hatch“Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee”Map →

personRon Wyden“U.S. Senator from Oregon”Map →

organizationPension Benefit Guaranty Corporation“Federal agency that insures private-sector pension plans”Map →

personW. Thomas Reeder, Jr.“Nominee for Director of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation”Map →

organizationOffice of the United States Trade Representative“Federal agency responsible for developing and coordinating U.S. trade policy”Map →

personMarisa Lago“Nominee for Deputy U.S. Trade Representative”Map →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100

Significance30
How much this matters to a regular citizen
Controversy10
Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
Entertainment5
Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
Buzz5
Current news / social attention level

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